{"product_id":"p5850","title":"Bizen Sake Cup","description":"This is a Bizen sake cup by Living National Treasure Toshu Yamamoto, an artist renowned for his peerless, god-like mastery of technique and creator of numerous masterpieces. This sake cup features the seal he used during his later years, after he had lived through turbulent times and been designated a holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture, having begun his career as a craftsman. The form is remarkably neat and symmetrical, a pleasure to behold and characteristic of a master who spent his entire life working at the potter's wheel. It was fired in an electronically controlled gas kiln, co-developed with his son Yuichi, allowing for precise temperature regulation, which results in a distinct, translucent, whitish clay quality that differs from that of other electric-kiln-fired *hi-dasuki* (fire-cord) wares. The artisan spirit of Toshu-sensei is evident in the cup's perfect weight—substantial enough to feel comfortable in the hand despite the precise wheel-thrown form—and in the uncompromising, straight-cut base, which in some sense feels almost unadorned and rustic.\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-zan)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 6.6cm x Diameter 6.6cm x Height 5.2cm\n\nToshu Yamamoto (1906–1994, born in Imbe, Bizen City) entered the world of pottery in 1921 and established his own kiln in 1933. He later refined his skills under Kyoto ceramic artist Yaichi Kusube. After the war, he deepened his friendships with figures such as Rosanjin Kitaoji and Isamu Noguchi. Known as \"Toshu of the Wheel\" for his superb mastery of the potter's wheel, he created delicate works and established a reputation as a master of tea ceramics, with a particular focus on tea canisters (*cha-ire*). He was designated a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government in 1987. In 1992, he held the exhibition \"Travels of the Six Old Kilns: Living National Treasure Toshu Yamamoto.\" \u003cbr\u003e\nMajor Awards: Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award, Miki Memorial Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Chugoku Cultural Award, Mainichi Art Award, Bizen City Distinguished Service Award, Medal with Purple Ribbon, Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon, Order of the Sacred Treasure, 4th Class, Honorary Citizen of Bizen City","brand":"山本陶秀","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618691076193,"sku":"5850","price":90000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/5850.jpg?v=1790240613","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p5850","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}