Bizen Guinomi

This Bizen sake cup is the work of Mitsuru Isezaki, a master craftsman who loved Bizen ware and made significant contributions to the region. It is a kiln-transformed sake cup featuring an "ash-covered" firing that is slightly lighter in finish, combined with a sunset-like scarlet "nuke" (uncovered) area. The scarlet color that appears on half of the exterior and the interior is truly vivid, possessing an exquisite, melting texture characteristic of Isezaki, who was always particular about using high-quality clay. It is as if the cup itself is intoxicated; once filled with sake, the brilliance of the scarlet hue immediately intensifies, delighting the viewer. The orthodox, unpretentious form typical of his style is also easy to use, resulting in a piece worthy of a master that achieves an excellent balance between visual aesthetics and practicality. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Diameter 7.0cm × Diameter 6.7cm × Height 6.3cm Mitsuru Isezaki was born in 1934 as the eldest son of the Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki. He learned pottery techniques from his father from a young age and majored in sculpture in the special art course at Okayama University. As an authentic practitioner of tea ceramics, he pursued Momoyama-style forms, clay qualities, and firing techniques. He differentiated between using climbing kilns and medieval anagama kilns depending on the work, and insisted on firing with split pine wood, never using electric or gas kilns. He became a regular member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Toyo Kaneshige Award in 1974. He received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Contribution Award in 1994 and the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize in 1998. In March of that same year, he was designated as a Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property holder. He passed away in August 2011 at the age of 77.
Awards: Toyo Kaneshige Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Contribution Award, Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition, and many others / Invited exhibitor at Prefectural Exhibition