Bizen Tokkuri

This is a new Bizen sake flask by Jumpei Kaneshige, the eldest son of Kosuke Kaneshige, the leading master of the Kaneshige lineage. Dedicated to the traditional clay preparation of the Kaneshige family, this piece is crafted from clay refined entirely by hand without the use of a pug mill, and aged for several decades before use. It embodies the quintessential "yellow goma" (sesame glaze) firing for which the Kaneshige family is known, with a rich layer of yellow sesame glaze showing flashes of scorching in places, and a clay body that has taken on a deep, chocolate-like hue. At first glance, it appears turnip-shaped, but the shoulder is sharply tapered to accommodate the *kabuse-yaki* (covered firing) technique. Most distinctively, the lower part of the flask is split in two, resembling a peach—a "peach-bottomed" flask, if you will, rather than a standard wide-bottomed one. In the *kabuse-yaki* section, a vibrant *hidasuki* (fire-cord) pattern is wrapped tightly around the neck, adorning it like a rich, astringent crimson necklace that rivals the unique shape of the base. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Rim 3.3cm x Body 9.8cm x 9.3cm x Height 11.5cm; Capacity approx. 350cc Jumpei Kaneshige was born in Komaba, Tokyo, in 1972 as the eldest son of Kosuke Kaneshige. He graduated from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Waseda University in 1994. In 2000, he completed a graduate program in sculpture at Long Island University in New York, USA, and returned to Japan to apprentice under his father, Kosuke Kaneshige.