Bizen tea cup

This is a Bizen tea cup by the late Toyo Kaneshige, a Living National Treasure and the great restorer of Bizen ware. The "To" potter's mark is slightly shortened, indicating this is a work from his later years around 1955. It uses carefully selected, high-quality clay—often considered the finest in Bizen—with a focus on sections containing pebbles and sand to create a coarse, rustic texture. The texture is breathtaking, a hallmark of Kaneshige's mastery; the soft, bright brownish hues gently gradate into a deeper shiso-red, creating a magnificent palette. Furthermore, unusually for a tea cup, it features *hidasuki* (fire-cord) markings on the interior, where the stark, pale clay contrasts with the subdued crimson cords, promising to become even more beautiful with use. Signed wooden box (lid with two cross-braces)
Diameter 8.1cm × 8.0cm × Height 9.2cm Toyo Kaneshige (1896–1967, born in Inbe, Bizen City) was the eldest son of Baiyo Kaneshige, of a branch of the Kaneshige family, one of the six traditional Bizen pottery lineages. He studied under his father and first gained fame for his handcrafted *houhin* (tea pots). From the Taisho to early Showa periods, he conducted extensive research and successfully recreated the *tsuchiaji* (clay texture) of Momoyama-period Bizen, around which time he also began using the potter's wheel and shifted his focus to tea ceramics. He cultivated deep friendships with Handeishi Kawakita, Toyozo Arakawa, and Kyusetsu Miwa, and in the post-war era, he expanded his artistic range through the influence of Rosanjin Kitaoji and Isamu Noguchi. For these contributions, he is revered as the restorer of Bizen ware. He was the first Bizen potter to be designated a holder of a national Important Intangible Cultural Property, and in 1964 and 1966, he was invited as a guest lecturer for the summer session at the University of Hawaii. In 1967, he performed a pottery demonstration for Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun during their visit to Bizen.
Major awards: Chugoku Cultural Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award, Medal with Purple Ribbon, Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette