Bizen Guinomi

This is a newly kiln-fired Bizen sake cup by Kosuke Kaneshige, the leader of the Kaneshige family and son of the great Bizen ware revivalist and Living National Treasure, Toyo Kaneshige. This piece not only showcases the beautiful clay quality characteristic of the Kaneshige family but is a type that allows you to fully enjoy the blackened "haikaburi" (ash-covered) kiln transformation, the star of wood-fired climbing kilns. The technical prowess of Kosuke's kiln firing is truly exceptional, displaying an intense level of firing that pushes the limits, as if the artist had been in direct dialogue and coordination with the clay itself. While it is all "haikaburi" black, you can enjoy comparing the dense, rich black of the kiln-transformed ash covering on the exterior with the ink-splashed black of the interior, which gains even more allure when moistened with sake. Adding sake to the cup further polishes this magnificent black, imbuing it with exceptional beauty. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 6.8cm × 6.6cm × Height 6.1cm Kosuke Kaneshige is the third son of Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige. He graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts with a degree in sculpture in 1968, and completed his graduate studies in sculpture at the same university in 1970. He began exhibiting ceramic works in 1975, and after serving as a lecturer at Tokai University, 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. In 1997, he exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition. He holds solo exhibitions in various locations, including Tokyo and Osaka. In 2012, he was designated as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture.