Bizen Youhen Guinomi

This is a brand new Bizen sake cup, freshly pulled from the kiln by the popular young artist Yoshiteru Koriki, a former apprentice of the master Sozan Kaneshige. This latest work, from a kiln firing in early summer 2018, is a piece of ash-covered yohen (kiln-change) pottery that has been fired with extreme intensity. True to Koriki-sensei’s style of bringing out the character of the clay through aggressive firing, this piece features a black ash glaze reminiscent of cooled magma, integrated with a skin that has undergone strong reduction, giving it the appearance of blue Bizen ware. He has pushed the relatively low-refractory rice-field clay to its limit, resulting in a piece with an overwhelming presence, as if one is holding a rock in the palm of their hand. The intense firing has produced hues resembling blue Bizen, while the front "nuke" (uncovered area) and the interior reveal a unique blue-gray clay texture. The strong reduction has also had a significant effect on the "kumadori" (shading) where the kiln-change meets the clay body, creating an intriguing metallic gold sheen. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 6.3cm x Diameter 5.8cm x Height 5.7cm Yoshiteru Koriki was born in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture. Influenced by his pottery-loving father, he aspired to pursue a career in ceramics. After graduating from high school, he began studying under the father-and-son team of Sozan and Arihuni Kaneshige in 1989 to master the art of pottery. 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 completed his first firing the following year. He held his first solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2000 and has held annual solo exhibitions ever since. In 1999, he submitted a piece to the "Kita no Kashiki" (Northern Confectionery Vessels) exhibition, where it was selected, and in 2002, he was selected for the "Chanoyu no Zokei" (Forms of Tea Ceremony) exhibition for the first time.