Bizen sake cup

This is a Bizen sake cup by Toyo Kaneshige, the first Living National Treasure and the great restorer of Bizen ware. Produced during his later years, between the early 1950s and 1965, it bears the shortened "To" ceramic seal. His intense commitment to the creation of Bizen ware, which strikes those of later generations as almost devotional, ensures that every aspect of the clay, firing, and form is executed at an overwhelming level of quality. The body features a gradation from a heavy, deep shiso-purple clay tone to a vibrant yellowish hue, accented by a dusting of greenish, matte ash glaze (kase-goma), creating a compelling piece with subtle variations within a composed aesthetic. In the interior, the gradation is wider; the matte ash and shiso tones are confined to the rim, while the transition to the yellowish clay below creates a superb backdrop for sake. The base, designed with the slightly lower, broader foot characteristic of his later work, is carved with a serene yet precise hand, resulting in a cup with an immersive, contemplative quality that evokes the atmosphere of a quiet forest. Signed wooden box by Kosuke (shiho-zan style)
Diameter 6.8cm × Diameter 6.5cm × Height 4.7cm Toyo Kaneshige (1896–1967, born in Inbe, Bizen City) was born the eldest son of Baiyo Kaneshige, from a branch of the Kaneshige family, one of the six traditional Bizen pottery families. He studied under his father and first gained acclaim for his handmade houhin teapots. Through extensive research from the Taisho period to the early Showa period, he successfully replicated the clay texture of Momoyama-period Bizen, at which point he began using the potter's wheel and shifted his focus to tea ceramics. He deepened his friendships with Handeishi Kawakita, Toyozo Arakawa, and Kyusetsu Miwa, and after the war, he expanded his artistic range under the influence of Rosanjin Kitaoji and Isamu Noguchi. For these contributions, he is known as the restorer of Bizen ware. He was the first Bizen potter to be designated a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property; in 1964 and 1966, he was invited as a guest lecturer at the University of Hawaii summer session. In 1967, he performed a pottery demonstration before Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun during their visit to Bizen.
Key awards: Chugoku Culture Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Prefecture Culture Award, Medal with Purple Ribbon, Order of the Sacred Treasure, Fourth Class.