Bizen Guinomi

This is a recent Bizen sake cup by the prodigious talent Harada Juro, who was described by the late Katsura Matasaburo—a great benefactor of Bizen ware—as being "formidable" while they conducted research together on ancient Bizen pottery. This piece is from the final kiln firing overseen by Harada himself, perfectly capturing the characteristics of his style: a profound, weighty clay texture adorned with dynamic, sweeping "goma" (ash glaze). The rich texture, packed with the knowledge and techniques he cultivated through his study of ancient Bizen, is masterful, showcasing a dizzying transition of colors ranging from orange to shiso-red, brown, and black. It is truly astonishing how clay that appeared merely dark when first unearthed can bloom into such delicate and complex hues. The formidable, sculptural presence achieved through the *himo-zukuri* (coil-building) technique is also captivating, featuring fascinating, rugged wrinkles around the base created as moisture escaped during the forming process. While it has an exceptional, rock-like presence in the palm of one's hand, it is not excessively heavy and remains well within the range of a functional sake cup. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Diameter 7.7cm × 7.5cm × Height 5.3cm After graduating from Meiji University and working in the corporate world, Harada Juro began his journey in ceramics in 1969. He built his first small kiln in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year to begin his career in earnest. From 1975, under the guidance of ancient Bizen researcher Matasaburo Katsura, he traveled to old kiln sites to study ancient Bizen pottery. In 1991, he built an *anagama* kiln on Amidayama in Ushimado, where he created jars, tea utensils, leaf-shaped plates, and more. He focused primarily on coil-building, though he also utilized the potter's wheel for some works. He held numerous solo exhibitions in cities such as Tokyo and Osaka, and in 1983, he held a joint exhibition with Kenji Funaki of Fushina ware at the National Museum of Australia. He was awarded the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2000. In 2002, he exhibited at the opening commemoration exhibition of the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, where his work was added to the permanent collection. In 2005, his work was also acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art.