{"product_id":"p5538","title":"Bizen sake cup","description":"This is a recent Bizen sake cup by the prodigious talent Juro Harada, who was described by the great Bizen authority Matasaburo Katsura—with whom he studied old Bizen—as having \"frightening potential.\" This unique piece is a conversion of Harada's signature Bizen mortar into a sake cup, displaying the masterful craftsmanship one would expect from an artist who poured his heart and soul into the study of old Bizen. The form, built by tightly compressing the clay, is incredibly powerful; much like a high-density old Bizen mortar, it possesses an overwhelming presence even in the palm of your hand. While the exterior is free of *hidasuki* (fire-cord) markings, the interior is densely layered with them, perfectly matching the undulating, rising form of the mortar. This piece, which seems to forget it is a sake cup, is truly a stately Bizen mortar in its own right; when you grip it to raise a drink to your lips, you feel the strange sensation of becoming a giant ten-meter-tall ogre.\n\nSigned wooden box (shihosan style)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 9.3cm x Diameter 7.6cm x Height 4.1cm\n\nAfter graduating from Meiji University and working in the corporate world, Juro Harada began his pottery career in 1969. He built an *ana-gama* (tunnel kiln) in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year to begin full-scale production. From 1975, under the guidance of old Bizen researcher Matasaburo Katsura, he traveled to old kiln sites to study historical Bizen ware. In 1991, he built an *ana-gama* kiln on Amidayama in Ushimado, where he created jars, tea utensils, leaf-shaped plates, and more. While he primarily uses the *himo-zukuri* (coiling) technique, he also employs the potter's wheel for some works. He has held numerous solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and elsewhere. In 1983, he held a two-person exhibition at the National Museum of Australia with Kenji Funaki of Fushina ware. He received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2000. In 2002, his work was exhibited and acquired by the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, for its opening commemorative exhibition. His work was also acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in 2005.","brand":"原田拾六","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618683441249,"sku":"5538","price":60000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/5538.jpg?v=1790240317","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p5538","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}