Bizen Yunomi

This Bizen tea cup is by Takashi Soga, an artist who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the environment in which ancient Bizen ware was fired. To replicate the style of the Old Bizen period, he avoids the use of firebricks and other modern materials, resulting in a kiln that defies all modern conventions of thermal efficiency. Consequently, the work exhibits an exceptional earthen quality that transcends contemporary aesthetics, nearing that of Old Bizen. The kiln itself is constructed entirely of clay—a state of firing pottery within pottery—which reportedly causes the earthen character to shift in various ways with every firing. This piece features a striking finish, with a matte earthen surface overlaid by a dark kiln-effect resembling fish skin. The kiln-effect is so evocative that one can almost hear the sound of the ash fusing to the clay; combined with the beautiful earthen tone tinged with a faint cherry-blossom pink, the cup will only become more polished and refined with every use. Paper box
Diameter 7.7cm × 7.5cm × Height 9.4cm Takashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984. He studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his own kiln in Kukui, Bizen City, in 2012. He became independent and began his career as a ceramic artist in 2013.