{"product_id":"p5162","title":"Bizen Shu-Ha-Ri","description":"This is a \"Shuhari\" Bizen sake cup by Kenji Takenaka, an artist who transitioned from jewelry design to ceramics and studied under Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki. Utilizing clay from Sabu, Bizen, this ambitious piece boldly incorporates Oribe and Shino pottery techniques, making it a truly exceptional sake cup that lives up to its name, \"Shuhari.\" The Sabu clay is used directly without elutriation or refining, allowing the marbled texture resulting from the natural variations in the clay’s composition to peek through at the foot. The combination of feldspar glaze and Oribe glaze allows one to enjoy both \"kairagi\" (crackle) and green glaze simultaneously, with the colors enhancing each other to create a fantastical finish. In the interior, the Oribe glaze pools thickly, creating a jade-like transformation that makes the sake appear as if a raw gemstone is rising from the depths.\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-san)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 6.8cm × 6.6cm × Height 5.1cm\n\nKenji Takenaka was captivated by clay and shifted his career from jewelry design to ceramics. After completing his studies at the Bizen Ceramic Center in 1986, he worked there as an instructor for two years. He began his apprenticeship under Jun Isezaki in 1988 and became independent in 1994. In addition to traditional tea ceremony ware, sake vessels, tableware, and flower vases, he also creates highly innovative works. Through oxidation and reduction firing in an anagama kiln, he produces a diverse range of expressions through changes in red, white, and black coloration and the texture of the clay. He has received the Okayama City Mayor’s Award and the Prefectural Exhibition Award at the Prefectural Exhibition, as well as the Sanyo Shimbun Award at the Japan Traditional Crafts Branch Exhibition, among many other selections in various exhibitions. He has held solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Okayama, Kurashiki, and elsewhere.","brand":"竹中健次","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46617979158625,"sku":"5162","price":18000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/5162.jpg?v=1790230768","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p5162","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}