{"product_id":"p6089","title":"Bizen sake cup","description":"This is a recent Bizen sake cup (guinomi) by the prodigious talent Harada Shiroku, who was said by the great Bizen scholar Katsura Matasaburo to have \"frightening potential,\" and with whom he studied old Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThis piece comes from one of the final kilns fired by Harada himself, and perfectly captures the hallmarks of \"Harada Bizen\" with its substantial clay body and bold, heavy ash glaze (goma).\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe sake cup is striking for its intense natural glaze, which is reminiscent of Iga ware; the pale green glaze flows across the entire piece as if poured, sparking great curiosity about the conditions inside the kiln during the firing.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe abundant natural glaze does not just have a single tone, but varies from section to section, offering a rich variety of textures—from a beautiful, transparent, glass-like surface resembling crystal to a matte, pumice-like texture.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe intense firing has also transformed the quality of the clay; the base, a somewhat bright shiso (perilla) color, appears to shimmer and glisten as if coated in platinum.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe foot, crafted with the meticulous attention Harada was known for, is also superb; the slightly low, cross-cut foot (jumonji-wari kodai) is wonderfully stylish.\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-zan)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 6.8cm × 6.7cm × Height 6.7cm\n\nHarada Shiroku was born in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture, in 1941.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter graduating from Meiji University, he worked in a company before beginning his pottery career around 1969.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1971, he built an anagama kiln, followed by a climbing kiln the next year, and began his full-scale pottery production.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom 1975, he studied old Bizen by visiting ancient kiln sites under the guidance of Katsura Matasaburo, a researcher of old Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1991, he built an anagama kiln in Amidayama, Ushimado.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe was particularly skilled at making mortars (suribachi) and created flower vases, tea utensils, and sake vessels primarily using the coil-building technique, with some parts thrown on the potter's wheel.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe held solo exhibitions across the country, including in Tokyo and Osaka.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1983, he held a two-person exhibition with Fushina ware artist Funaki Kenji at the National Museum of Ethnology, Australia.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2000, he received the Japan Ceramic Society Award.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2002, he exhibited at the opening commemorative exhibition of the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, where his work was added to the permanent collection.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2005, his work was acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in the United States.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe passed away in 2024.","brand":"原田拾六","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618029916257,"sku":"6089","price":66000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/6089.jpg?v=1790231273","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p6089","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}