Bizen Mugcup

This is a new Bizen ware mug by the popular young artist Yoshiteru Kōriki, an apprentice to the master Sozan Kaneshige. This latest piece, fired in early summer 2019, is a magnificent mug featuring "kase-goma" (dry sesame glaze), one of Kōriki's signature firing styles. The interior reveals a "hi-iro" (scarlet) hue that becomes even more beautiful when wet, perfectly showcasing the charm of Bizen ware, which is a joy both to use and to cultivate over time. This scarlet hue makes drinks taste better than ever, while the warmth transmitted through the moist texture and the delicate color shifts provide an unforgettable experience quite different from porcelain. The tree bark-like kase-goma finish is also deeply refined, and the exquisite balance between the scarlet surface and the weathered kase texture ensures it never ceases to captivate. It is quite large for a mug, nearly the size of a beer stein, making it perfect for the coming season if chilled beforehand to enjoy a beer. No box
Diameter 11.6cm x 9.0cm x Height 10.3cm Yoshiteru Kōriki was born in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture. Influenced by his father’s love for pottery, he decided to pursue a career in ceramics. After graduating from high school, he studied under the master Sozan Kaneshige and his son Yuho Kaneshige, beginning in 1989. After seven years of training, he built his own climbing kiln in Shizutani, Bizen City, in 1996 and struck out on his own, successfully firing his first kiln 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 "Sweets Containers of the North I Want to Use" exhibition, and in 2002, he was selected for the "Chanoyu (Tea Ceremony) Forms" exhibition for the first time.