Hikidashi-guro sake cup

This is a *hikidashi-guro* (pulled-black) sake cup by Masao Akitani, an artist who studied under Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki and creates works brimming with a unique originality rooted in a fresh sensibility. This is the first new work from Masao Akitani in approximately two years since his last kiln opening. Utilizing the *hikidashi-guro* technique—a trademark of the Isezaki school—this piece possesses a mystical allure, capturing exactly what transpires within the superheated interior of the kiln where no human can enter. Because the piece is necessarily placed in front of the fire to achieve the *hikidashi* effect, the black slip applied to the surface is washed away by a massive amount of ash, and the subsequent pulling and rapid cooling result in a unique landscape where black, blue, and amber colors meld together. Furthermore, the *goma* (ash glaze) inside the cup—the true thrill of the *hikidashi* technique—is superb, with obsidian-like ash appearing to have flowed out in a thick, molten state before solidifying. Fine line patterns have been impressed into the vessel's surface, and the liquefied black glaze pools within these lines, causing the pattern itself to emerge in a strikingly novel way. The form is a spherical shape that fits comfortably in the hand, and the lip is finished to a delicate thinness, resulting in a cup that is both innovative in design and easy to use, with no awkwardness in its feel. Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 7.5cm x Diameter 7.1cm x Height 5.9cm Masao Akitani was born in Saitama in 1968. He began his apprenticeship under Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki in 1998, and after ten years of training, he built his own kiln in Bizen and became an independent artist in 2008. He held his first kiln opening in 2009. His work has been selected for the Tanabe Museum of Art’s "Forms of Tea" exhibition and the Japan Kōgei Association Chugoku Branch exhibition, and he has received awards including the Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition Prize and the Encouragement Award.