Bizen ware sake cup

This is a newly fired Bizen sake cup by Takashi Soga, who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the environment of the Old Bizen firing era. To replicate the style of the Old Bizen period, no firebricks or similar materials are used; consequently, the kiln operates outside modern conventional wisdom regarding internal thermal efficiency. This allows the work to transcend contemporary aesthetics, revealing an exquisite clay texture that rivals that of true Old Bizen. Fired intensely to achieve Soga’s signature kiln-change effects, the cup features a dense, chocolate-like clay texture—which could easily be mistaken for genuine Old Bizen—intricately layered with intensely scorched ash glaze. Furthermore, straw placed during the firing process has melted over the ash to form a vitreous, glassy layer, creating a beautiful, glossy accent within the matte kiln-change patterns. While the profound, heavy firing makes the surface appear rough, holding it reveals an incredibly soft texture that invites you to keep touching it for hours on end. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Diameter 7.3cm x Diameter 7.2cm x Height 3.8cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his kiln in Kukui, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent in 2013 and began his career as a ceramic artist.