Bizen sake bottle

This Bizen sake flask is by the master craftsman Mitsuru Isezaki, who deeply loved Bizen ware and made significant contributions to the region. It is said that the Hidasuki (fire-cord) style of the Isezaki family, renowned as the pinnacle of elegance within Bizen ware, was even admired by the legendary Toyo Kaneshige. This piece displays a vivid yet rustic and warm quality, and the profound character of the subtly tinted white clay gives it a beauty that rivals the masterpieces of old Bizen. The form is filled with the quiet refinement characteristic of Mitsuru Isezaki, making this a superb flask for entertaining guests. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Rim 3.8cm × Body diameter 9.7cm × Body diameter 9.7cm × Height 15.3cm; Capacity approx. 570cc 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 at an early age and studied sculpture at Okayama University’s Special Art Course. As a master of authentic tea ceramics, he pursued the forms, clay qualities, and firing methods of the Momoyama period. He alternated between climbing kilns (noborigama) and medieval-style tunnel kilns (anagama) depending on the work, insisting on firing with pine wood and eschewing electric or gas kilns. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Toyo Kaneshige Award in 1974. In 1994, he received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Merit Award, and in 1998, the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize. 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 Prefectural Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition, and many others / Guest exhibitor at Prefectural Exhibition