{"product_id":"p6272","title":"Bizen water jar with lug handles","description":"This is a Bizen ware mizusashi (water jar) with lug handles, created by the master craftsman Mitsuru Isezaki, who deeply loved Bizen ware and made significant contributions to the Bizen region.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nA pottery biography from around 2002 is enclosed, suggesting the piece was created around that time.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nBelieving firmly that the true merit of Bizen ware lies in the quality of its clay, Master Isezaki remained dedicated to using only high-quality rice-field clay, and this piece embodies the profound scenery characteristic of his work.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nWhile it may appear understated at first glance, the piece features remarkably diverse kiln-alteration effects (yohen). Cloud-like sangiri (a charcoal-fired coloring effect) covers the entire vessel, and combined with the intertwined fence pattern (higaki-mon), it creates a mysterious, abstract, and painterly appearance.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe lid was placed on the vessel during firing, allowing yellow sesame-like ash glaze (kigoma) carried by the hot air to settle on top, resulting in a yellow ash scenery that contrasts beautifully with the sangiri pattern on the body.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe form, a quintessential example of the lug-handled yahazu-guchi (arrow-notch rim) style, is magnificent; it is no exaggeration to say that this piece is a brilliant distillation of the techniques Master Isezaki cultivated throughout his career.\n\nOriginal signed wooden box (shiho-san)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 20.0cm × 17.4cm × Height 18.7cm\n\nMaster Mitsuru Isezaki was born in 1934 as the eldest son of the Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki. He learned pottery techniques from his father from a young age and majored in sculpture in the Special Art Course at Okayama University.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAs an authentic master of tea ceramics, he pursued Momoyama-style forms, clay quality, and firing techniques.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe selectively used either a climbing kiln or a medieval-style anagama kiln depending on the piece, and never used electric or gas kilns, remaining committed to firing with split pine wood.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Toyo Kaneshige Memorial Award in 1974.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1994, he received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Achievement Award, and in 1998, he won the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn March of that same year, he was designated as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe passed away in August 2011 at the age of 77.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAwards and honors: Recipient of numerous awards, including the Toyo Kaneshige Memorial Award, the Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, the Sanyo Shimbun Award, the Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, and the Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition; also served as an invited artist for the Prefectural Exhibition.","brand":"伊勢崎 満","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618044694625,"sku":"6272","price":120000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/6272.jpg?v=1790231395","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p6272","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}