Bizen Kuro Guinomi

This is a Bizen black sake cup by Takashi Baba, an artist born in Imbe who has loved Bizen ware since childhood and finds his life's joy in creating works and firing kilns. This black Bizen sake cup, crafted using Baba's signature clay-wash technique, features a highly translucent black glaze accented with beautiful, well-melted yellow sesame-like ash (goma). True to an artist who loves creating Bizen ware, the piece is adorned with free-spirited, lively spatula carvings that seem to "dance" across the surface. The gentle four-sided shape features unique spatula marks on each corner, giving every face its own distinct expression. The foot is also highly creative, boasting an intriguing design that resembles a hexagonal bolt screwed into the base. In the interior, well-melted goma has turned into scorched goma, serving as a third accent against the black body and yellow goma. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Diameter 6.5cm × 6.1cm × Height 5.3cm Takashi Baba was born in 1983 as the eldest son of Bizen ware artist Shosuke Baba. Having considered becoming a ceramic artist since childhood, he chose to study sculpture in university to broaden his artistic range. He graduated from the Sculpture Department of Tokyo University of the Arts in 2006 and further honed his skills at the Kyoto Municipal Institute of Industrial Technology and Culture. He became independent in 2007 and held his first solo exhibition. Currently, he is active primarily through solo exhibitions at department stores.