Bizen Guinomi

This is a newly fired Bizen sake cup by the popular young artist Yoshiteru Koriki, who was an inner-circle apprentice to the master Sozan Kaneshige. A latest work from the early summer 2019 firing, it is an excellent piece that captures the essence of Koriki-sensei’s style—a beautiful combination of mouse-gray ash glazing and soft scarlet hues, achieved through his continued pursuit of kiln-transformed effects while cherishing the clay itself. Ash-glaze kiln transformation is born from balancing the two opposing elements of clay and firing, and even within such a difficult firing process, this piece was finished at an exquisite timing, leaning neither too far toward the clay nor the firing. The front features a rare crescent-shaped "nuke" (a patch of unglazed or differently colored area), surrounded by the dull, silvery glow of the ash-glazed kiln transformation, making it look as though a crescent moon has peeked out from behind clearing clouds on a dark night—a truly magnificent sight. The interior features a small round "bota" mark, a signature of Koriki-sensei designed to enhance the appearance of the sake, which, thanks to the superb heat control, has taken on a delicate scarlet hue that is neither too red nor too white. Signed wooden box to follow (please allow some time for shipping)
Diameter 7.0cm x 6.7cm x Height 5.8cm Yoshiteru Koriki was born in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture. Influenced by his father, who loved pottery, he set his heart on the path of ceramics, and after graduating from high school, he apprenticed under the father-and-son duo of Sozan and Yuho Kaneshige starting in 1989 to learn the craft. After seven years of training, he built his own climbing kiln in Shizutani, Bizen City, in 1996 and struck out on his own, successfully holding his first kiln firing the following year. He held his first solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2000 and has held annual solo exhibitions ever since. In 1999, he was selected for the "Kita no Kashiki" (Northern Confectionery Vessels) Exhibition, and in 2002, he was selected for the first time for the "Chanoyu no Zokei" (Sculptural Forms in Tea) Exhibition.