Bizen Guinomi

This is a Bizen hand-built sake cup by the popular young artist Yoshiteru Koriki, an apprentice of the master Sozan Kaneshige. This latest piece, from a kiln firing in early summer 2019, is a sophisticated and richly expressive work heavily coated in "goma" (sesame glaze), reflecting Koriki-sensei's style of valuing the clay while continuously seeking kiln-transformation effects. Placed in a high-heat area facing the front of the kiln, the piece absorbed the intense heat and flames from the firewood, resulting in a chocolate-like surface texture; beyond the profound scenery of the sesame glaze, the subtle, visible quality of the clay is also magnificent. Furthermore, this piece was unusually crafted by hand-pinching rather than on a potter's wheel, with the resulting fine irregularities and thickness matching the warm tones of the sesame glaze. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 7.0cm × 6.9cm × Height 5.2cm Yoshiteru Koriki was born in Ako City, Hyogo Prefecture. Influenced by his pottery-loving father, he aspired to a career in ceramics and, after graduating high school in 1989, studied under the master Sozan Kaneshige and his son Ariyuni to hone his skills. After seven years of training, he established his own climbing kiln in Shizutani, Bizen City in 1996, and successfully held his first firing the following year. He held his first solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2000 and has held annual solo exhibitions ever since. In 1999, his work was selected for the "Exhibition of Northern Confectionery Vessels You Want to Use," and in 2002, he was selected for the first time for the "Chanoyu Modeling Exhibition."