Bizen sake cup

This is an exquisite new Bizen sake cup by Makoto Kaneshige, who inherited the Maruyama Kiln as the eldest son of Sozan Kaneshige and captivates many with his harmony of delicate, elegant clay texture and powerful form. It features a miraculous *yohen* (kiln transformation) that defies the natural law of fire—where *hi-iro* (scarlet color) is usually lost as the clay is fired deeper, and *haikaburi* (ash glaze) usually only deepens in blackness—by allowing both to coexist and break through these contradictions. The body and interior are fired into a deep, jet-black *haikaburi* *yohen*, possessing a rugged, dry texture that transforms into a rich, ink-like black the moment it gets wet. The *hi-iro* finish is also superb, resembling a ripe persimmon, allowing one to enjoy the elegant yet alluring shifts in color derived from the clay-making techniques taught by Sozan Kaneshige. If the front represents the sun, the interior holds a beautiful splash of scarlet like a full moon on a water surface, a view so sublime it will instantly captivate any sake lover.

View Makoto Kaneshige's blog post Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 8.2cm × Diameter 7.5cm × Height 4.2cm Makoto Kaneshige is the eldest son of Intangible Cultural Property holder Sozan Kaneshige. He entered the path of pottery under his father in 1969 after graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kyoto University. He became independent in 1979. Focusing mainly on tea ceramics thrown on the potter's wheel, his work is characterized by deep, rich firing. He strives to eliminate decoration as much as possible, focusing on channeling his soul directly into the clay. He rarely enters public exhibitions, preferring to focus his energy on solo exhibitions, which he holds energetically every year at department stores in Okayama, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Kumamoto. He also held a solo exhibition in Munich, Germany in 1995 and exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition in 1997.