Bizen Youhen Tokkuri

This Bizen yohen tokkuri (sake bottle) is by the popular young artist Yoshiteru Koriki, a former live-in apprentice to the master Sozan Kaneshige. It is a superb piece that captures the artist's signature style—a pursuit of kiln-transformed effects while maintaining a deep respect for the clay—featuring a beautiful, mouse-gray ash glaze paired with soft scarlet hues. The ash-glazed kiln transformation is born from balancing the contradictory elements of clay and firing; even amidst such a difficult firing process, the piece was finished with impeccable timing, favoring neither the clay nor the firing too heavily. It masterfully incorporates the unique rhythm and nuance found in Sozan's work, and the slightly rounded body is striking, as if the clay is rising slowly. The "nuke" (uncovered area) on the front is deeply expressive, with the earthiness transitioning from shiso-purple to scarlet, conveying the quality of the clay at a single glance. Signed wooden box (shiho-san type)
Mouth rim 3.5cm × Body diameter 9.5cm × 9.5cm × Height 13.5cm; Capacity approx. 480cc Yoshiteru Koriki was born in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture. Influenced by his pottery-loving father, he aspired to a career in ceramics and, after graduating from high school, began an apprenticeship under the father-son duo of Sozan and Yuho Kaneshige in 1989 to master the craft. Following seven years of training, he built his own climbing kiln in Shizutani, Bizen City, in 1996 and struck out on his own, achieving a successful first firing the following year. He held his first solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2000 and has held annual exhibitions ever since. In 1999, he was selected for the "Pottery for Northern Confections" exhibition, and in 2002, he was selected for the "Chanoyu (Tea Ceremony) Modeling" exhibition for the first time.