Inbe Kakuzara

This is an Ibe square plate by the master craftsman Mitsuru Isezaki, who loved Bizen ware and made immense contributions to Bizen. It is a textbook example of a Bizen square plate, featuring a traditional cut-corner design accented by *botamochi* (rice cake markings) and vibrant *hidasuki* (fire-cord) markings. The finish is astonishingly meticulous; the sharp edges and the perfectly smooth, wrinkle-free back suggest a precision as if it had been cut instantly by a machine. Even with such exquisite craftsmanship, it retains a soft, warm quality unique to earthenware, which gives the piece an inviting presence. Beyond the rich coloring of the *hidasuki*, the vibrant crimson hues on the back are also beautiful, making this a work that is visually compelling on both sides, despite it being a plate meant to be used only on the top surface. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 20.6cm x 20.0cm x Height 4.3cm Mitsuru Isezaki was born in 1934 as the eldest son of the designated Intangible Cultural Property holder, Yozan Isezaki. He learned pottery techniques from his father from a young age and majored in sculpture at Okayama University's special art course. As a master of authentic tea ceramics, he pursued the forms, soil quality, and firing methods characteristic of the Momoyama period. Depending on the work, he selected between traditional climbing kilns and medieval anagama kilns, strictly avoiding electric or gas kilns in favor of firing with pine wood. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Toyo Kaneshige Memorial Award in 1974. In 1994, he received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Contribution Award, and in 1998, the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize. In March of that same year, he was certified as a Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property holder. He passed away in August 2011 at the age of 77.
Awards: Recipient of numerous honors including the Toyo Kaneshige Memorial Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Contribution Award, and the Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition, among others / Guest exhibitor at Prefectural exhibitions