Bizen sake cup

This is a new Bizen sake cup by Koichiro Isezaki, who was born the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki and who breathes new life into the Bizen pottery world with his exceptional sense of style and skillful modeling. While taking advantage of the natural characteristics of Bizen clay, he skillfully incorporates elements from his roots—such as wood carving—to create unique works that are instantly recognizable as his own. This piece is essentially a miniature version of the tea bowls he uses when serving matcha at his studio; despite being a sake cup, it possesses the same comfortable, quiet, and inward-curving quality as a tea bowl. The gentle rise of the hand-coiled form, combined with the rich, soft aesthetic of *hidasuki* (fire-cord) patterning achieved by firing inside a jar, creates a magnificent landscape. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 7.6cm × Diameter 7.4cm × Height 6.6cm Koichiro Isezaki was born the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki. The Isezaki family is a prestigious lineage in Bizen pottery; his grandfather was the Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki, and his uncle was the Intangible Cultural Property holder Mitsuru Isezaki. Koichiro aspired to be a potter from a young age. After graduating from the Department of Sculpture at Tokyo Zokei University in 1994, he studied abroad in the United States. He spent approximately two years studying pottery under Jeff Shapiro, a ceramic artist based in New York City, which greatly broadened his perspective on art and ceramics. After returning to Japan in 2000, he continued his training under the guidance of his father and his father’s disciples. In 2002, he submitted a piece to the Tanabe Museum of Art’s Tea Ceremony Exhibition for the first time and was selected.