Bizen Guinomi

This is a Bizen sake cup by Junpei Kaneshige, the eldest son of Kosuke Kaneshige, the leading figure of the Kaneshige family. The work is crafted using a traditional clay-making process; he eschews mechanical pug mills entirely, refining the clay by hand and allowing it to age for decades before use. The superb, melting scarlet hue conveys the quality of the clay, and despite being an unglazed *yakishime* piece made solely from earth, it boasts a fresh, fruit-like coloration. This sake cup features a *kase-yohen* (matte kiln change) appearance, a rare effect found in only a few spots within a single firing; it is an outstanding piece that combines the tree-bark-like texture characteristic of *kase-goma* (matte sesame glaze) with the cooled, solidified lava-like texture of *yohen*. It is a sake cup that allows you to fully enjoy the true essence of Bizen ware: the evolution during use and the pleasure of "nurturing" the piece. The form reflects Junpei’s meticulous attention to detail, with a gracefully rising shape that evokes a flower beginning to bloom or a trumpet. Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 6.4cm × Diameter 6.1cm × Height 6.4cm Junpei Kaneshige was born in Komaba, Tokyo, in 1972 as the eldest son of Kosuke Kaneshige. He graduated from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Waseda University in 1994. In 2000, he completed a graduate program in sculpture at Long Island University in New York, USA, and returned to Japan to study under his father, Kosuke Kaneshige.