Bizen Yunomi

This is a new Bizen tea cup by Takashi Soga, just fired in June, created by challenging the aesthetic of antiquity by reproducing the same environment in which Old Bizen was fired. To recreate the style of the Old Bizen era, no refractory bricks or similar materials were used; consequently, it was fired in a kiln that defies all modern conventional wisdom regarding thermal efficiency. Because of this, it exhibits an exquisite earthen quality that transcends modern aesthetics, rivaling that of Old Bizen itself. The kiln, constructed entirely of clay, is like firing pottery within a kiln made of pottery, and it is said that the earthen quality changes in various ways with every firing. In this piece, the *kinsai hidasuki* (gold-colored fire-cord decoration) is even more vivid than in the previous one, with platinum-like fire cords draped over a silvery surface. While works with such *kinsai hidasuki* often tend to have a somewhat sharp texture, it is marvelous that this piece features the soft, delicate clay texture characteristic of Soga-sensei's work. Paper box
Diameter 8.0cm x 7.9cm x Height 9.5cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his own kiln in Kuku-i, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent and began his pottery career in 2013.