Bizen Guinomi

This Bizen sake cup is by Takashi Soga, who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the same environment in which Old Bizen pottery was fired. To replicate the style of the Old Bizen era, he avoids the use of firebricks and other modern materials, firing his pieces in a kiln where modern common sense regarding thermal efficiency does not apply; consequently, the work exhibits a superb earthy quality that transcends modern aesthetics and approaches that of Old Bizen. The base features an azuki-bean-colored clay surface, marked by erupting iron deposits and fine stone inclusions that create a texture easily mistaken for that of Old Bizen. Further enhancing this is a deeply fired crimson *hi-dasuki* (fire-cord) pattern; by applying a delicate touch of gold leaf solely over the *hi-dasuki*, the markings become one with the clay body, yet reveal themselves under certain lighting—an incredibly refined effect. This fascinating piece fulfills the dream of using an Old Bizen-style sake cup. Signed box (shiho-san) included
Diameter 6.5cm × 6.4cm × Height 5.5cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his own kiln in Kuku-i, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent and began his pottery career in 2013.