Bizen Guinomi

This is a brand-new Bizen sake cup, fresh from the kiln, by Kosuke Kaneshige, the leader of the Kaneshige school and son of the great restorer of Bizen ware and Living National Treasure, Toyo Kaneshige. This piece showcases the exquisite appeal of *haikaburi* (ash-covered) ware; while some parts are fired so intensely they have carbonized into a purplish-silver hue, other areas reveal a rich variety of ash-covered shades. The surface, achieved simply by burying the piece in embers during firing, displays a colorful transformation as if it had been painted, possessing a mysterious charm that one never tires of gazing upon. The earthy texture serves as a solid foundation for the ash glaze, and the delicate, quintessential Bizen color palette is beautifully preserved. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter: 6.9cm x 6.7cm, Height: 5.8cm Kosuke Kaneshige is the third son of Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige. He graduated from the Department of Sculpture at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1968 and completed his graduate studies there in 1970. He began exhibiting his ceramic work in 1975, and after serving as a lecturer at Tokai University, he returned to his hometown in 1977. He built his own climbing kiln in 1982. He creates objects, tea utensils, vases, tableware, and sake vessels. In 1991, he created the ceramic wall mural "Light and Wind" for the Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance building in Okayama. In 1994, he received the Japan Ceramic Society Award. In 1997, he exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition. He holds solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and other locations. In 2012, he was designated as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture.