Bizen Youhen Tokkuri

This is a brand new Bizen yohen sake bottle fresh from the kiln by popular young artist Yoshiteru Koriki, a former live-in apprentice to the master Sozan Kaneshige. This latest piece, fired in early summer 2018, is an outstanding work featuring a beautiful gray ash glaze paired with soft scarlet hues. Ash-glazed yohen is created by balancing the two opposing elements of clay and firing; even amidst such difficult firing conditions, this piece was completed with exquisite timing, favoring neither the clay nor the firing too heavily. It skillfully incorporates the unique sense of tempo found in Sozan's works, and the somewhat stout body has a visual presence that makes the clay seem as if it is slowly rising. The deeply flavorful scarlet hue born from high-quality clay will surely captivate you as its colors evolve the more you use it. Signed wooden box (shiho-zan) included.
Rim 3.8cm × Body diameter 9.1cm × 9.1cm × Height 13.1cm, Capacity approx. 380cc Yoshiteru Koriki was born in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture. Influenced by his father, who loved ceramics, he aspired to pursue the path of pottery. After graduating high school, he studied under the master Sozan Kaneshige and his son Yuho from 1989, learning ceramic techniques. After seven years of training, he built his own climbing kiln in Shizutani, Bizen City in 1996 to strike out on his own, and successfully fired his first kiln the following year. He held his first solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2000 and has held solo exhibitions annually ever since. In 1999, his work was selected for the "Kita no Kashiki" (Northern Confectionery Vessels) Exhibition, and in 2002, he was first selected for the "Chanoyu no Zokei" (Forms of Tea Ceremony) Exhibition.