Bizen Guinomi

This is a newly kiln-fired Bizen sake cup by Kousuke Kaneshige, the leader of the Kaneshige family and son of the legendary reviver of Bizen ware, Living National Treasure Touyou Kaneshige. This piece features an exquisite balance between the black-toned surface created by "haikaburi" (ash-covering) kiln transformation and the vibrant scarlet "nuke" (clear patches) produced by the rolling technique, allowing you to enjoy both the strong firing and the way the surface evolves in reaction to sake. Its deep black tone, possessing a unique presence like that of an ore, transitions dizzyingly through a boundary line of ash-covering known as "kumadori" into a vivid scarlet, a sight that never fails to captivate. Naturally, the interior also exhibits the beautiful scarlet characteristic of the Kaneshige lineage, promising to delight you with the shifting colors that represent the greatest charm of Bizen ware as you use it. Signed wooden box (shihozan) included
Diameter 6.6cm x 6.3cm, Height 6.1cm Kousuke Kaneshige is the third son of Living National Treasure Touyou Kaneshige. He graduated from the Sculpture Department of Tokyo University of the Arts in 1968 and completed his master’s degree in sculpture at the same university in 1970. He began exhibiting his ceramic works in 1975, and after serving as a lecturer at Tokai University’s School of Letters, he returned home in 1977. He built his own climbing kiln in 1982. He creates objects, tea utensils, flower vases, tableware, and sake vessels. In 1991, he created the ceramic mural "Light and Wind" for the Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance building in Okayama. He received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 1994 and exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition in 1997. He holds solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and elsewhere. In 2012, he was designated a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture.