Bizen Guinomi

This is a new Bizen sake cup, fresh from the kiln, by Kosuke Kaneshige, the leader of the Kaneshige family and son of the great Bizen master and Living National Treasure, Toyo Kaneshige. This piece not only exhibits the beautiful clay quality characteristic of the Kaneshige lineage, but is also a type that allows one to thoroughly enjoy a "haikaburi" (ash-covered) kiln-altered black surface, the highlight of climbing-kiln firing. Master Kosuke's kiln-firing technique is truly exceptional; the intense firing pushes the clay to its absolute limit, as if he had held a conversation and reached an agreement with the material itself. While it is all "haikaburi" black, one can enjoy comparing the rich, high-density black of the ash-covered exterior with the inner surface's ink-splashed appearance, which gains allure when dampened with sake. Furthermore, pouring sake into the cup polishes this magnificent black, imbuing it with exquisite beauty. Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 6.5cm × 6.5cm × Height 5.7cm Kosuke Kaneshige is the third son of Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige. He graduated from the Sculpture Department of Tokyo University of the Arts in 1968 and completed his graduate studies there in 1970. He began exhibiting ceramic works in 1975, and after serving as a lecturer at Tokai University, he returned to his hometown in 1977. He built a climbing kiln in 1982. He produces 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. In 1997, he exhibited at the Bizen Ware Exhibition in Paris. He has held solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and other locations. In 2012, he was designated as a Holder of Okayama Prefecture Important Intangible Cultural Property.