{"product_id":"p5941","title":"Bizen sake cup","description":"This is a new Bizen sake cup, fresh from the kiln in July, by Takashi Soga, an artist who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the same environment in which Old Bizen was fired.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nTo replicate the firing methods of the Old Bizen era, this piece was fired in a kiln made entirely of clay—one that does not use the firebricks available today and where modern kiln-firing conventions do not apply.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe clay kiln itself acts as a single, massive piece of pottery; consequently, it produces an exceptional quality of clay texture that transcends modern aesthetics and approaches the look of Old Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nSoga’s clay kiln undergoes transformation with every firing, a characteristic that causes the finish of the works to evolve slightly with each successive kiln opening.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn this piece, the artist's signature understated *hidasuki* (fire-cord) surface shifts abruptly, with a carbonized-looking ash glaze covering half of the vessel.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAt first glance, it may look scorched or sooty, but closer inspection reveals a moist luster, reminiscent of a wet stone—a unique finish unparalleled by any other artist.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe *hidasuki* section remains as profoundly subtle as ever, appearing to assimilate into the clay body; it is a mysterious and evocative landscape that might be called a \"kiln-transmutation *hidasuki*.\"\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nWhile maintaining the simple form typical of his work, this piece has been crafted with a slightly thicker profile.\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-san)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 5.9cm x 5.9cm x Height 5.3cm\n\nTakashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2009, he began his apprenticeship under Jun Isezaki.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe subsequently built his own kiln made entirely of clay, without the use of firebricks, in Kukui, Bizen City, in 2012.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe became independent and began his career as a ceramic artist in 2013.","brand":"曽我 尭","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618018676833,"sku":"5941","price":16500.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/5941.jpg?v=1790231170","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p5941","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}