{"product_id":"p5669","title":"Bizen tea cup","description":"This is a Bizen tea cup by the late Toyo Kaneshige, a Living National Treasure and the great restorer of Bizen ware. Given the relatively short \"to\" (ト) potter's mark, this is believed to be a work from his later years, produced around 1955. The piece is unusual in that the character \"Tama\" (玉) is carved into the center, and the generous application of *goma* (ash glaze) suggests it was a special commission. The *goma* covering one side of the piece falls somewhere between yellow *goma* and *kase-goma* (matte, dry ash glaze), resulting in a deeply expressive, complex hue of intertwined green and yellow. The base clay is of the uncompromising quality expected of Toyo Kaneshige; the exterior features a bitter chocolate hue that accentuates the colors of the *goma*, while the interior showcases a vibrant variety of colors, including *shiso* (perilla) tones and scarlet that are even brighter than the exterior. As is characteristic of his style, the foot is natural yet uniquely crafted as a crescent-shaped foot, shifted toward the center with exceptionally vivid, fluid carving.\n\nOriginal signed wooden box (with two-sided slats)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter: 7.7cm x 7.6cm, Height: 9.1cm\n\nToyo Kaneshige (1896–1967, born in Imbe, Bizen City) was born the eldest son of the potter Baiyo Kaneshige, from a branch of the Kaneshige family, one of the six traditional Bizen pottery lineages.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe began his pottery career under his father's tutelage, gaining initial fame for his handmade *hohin* (teapot).\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nBetween the Taisho and early Showa periods, he conducted extensive research into kiln packing, firing methods, and traditional clay preparation, successfully recreating the clay texture of Momoyama-period Bizen ware in 1930. Starting around 1932, he began using a potter's wheel and focused his efforts on creating tea ceramics.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe deepened his friendships with Handeishi Kawakita, Toyozo Arakawa, and Kyusetsu Miwa, and after the war, he expanded his artistic range under the influence of figures such as Rosanjin Kitaoji and Isamu Noguchi.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHaving breathed new life into Bizen ware, which had been in decline since the Edo and Meiji periods, he is known as the \"restorer of Bizen ware.\"\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe was designated a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture in 1954, and in 1956, he became the first person to be designated a national Living National Treasure for Bizen ware.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe was invited as a guest lecturer at the University of Hawaii summer session in 1964 and 1966.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1967, he performed a pottery demonstration before the Emperor and Empress during their visit to Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe passed away in 1967.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nKey awards and honors: Chugoku Cultural Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award, Medal with Purple Ribbon, Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, etc.","brand":"金重陶陽","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618003112033,"sku":"5669","price":210000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/5669.jpg?v=1790231001","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p5669","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}