Bizen ware teacup

This brand-new Bizen tea cup, freshly fired from the kiln of Mr. Takashi Soga, represents his challenge to recapture the beauty of antiquity by recreating the same conditions under which Old Bizen pottery was fired. To replicate the style of the Old Bizen period, he avoids the use of firebricks and other modern materials; consequently, the kiln operates outside the bounds of modern conventional wisdom regarding thermal efficiency. This process results in a texture of clay that transcends modern aesthetics, achieving a supreme quality that nears that of true Old Bizen. The brownish surface features a subdued *hidasuki* (fire-cord) pattern; at first glance, the appearance may seem understated, but it reveals a powerful clay texture that reflects Mr. Soga's deep reverence for Old Bizen, as if bursting with the vitality of the earth itself. A unique feature of this particular firing is the way iron deposits have bubbled to the surface like sweat across the entire body of the clay. This is paired with a texture that is surprisingly soft and delicate, a gap that is a true delight to experience in a piece that can be held, such as a tea cup. The aesthetic is reminiscent of the *hidasuki* style of the master potter, the late Mr. Ken Fujiwara.

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Diameter 7.6cm x 7.6cm x Height 9.4cm Mr. Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Mr. Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his kiln in Kugui, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent in 2013 and began his career as a ceramic artist.