{"product_id":"p6276","title":"Painted Bizen Ware Sake Cup","description":"This is a newly kiln-fired painted Bizen sake cup (guinomi) by Anjin Abe, an artist with profound insight into and an aesthetic sense for antique ceramics, who creates one-of-a-kind works through his unique research and firing methods.\u003cbr\u003e\nThe cup features a dragonfly—long favored by warriors as a \"winning insect\" (kachimushi)—painted on the front in a bold composition that makes it appear as if it is soaring leisurely through the vast sky.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nFurthermore, this piece features dual-sided painting, with a chicken depicted on the back, allowing you to enjoy the dynamic composition from both sides.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAdditionally, the yellow sesame-like ash glaze (kigoma), which was often placed on the sides in the past, has been deliberately fired to overlap with the painting on the front, creating the appearance of the dragonfly flying through clouds of yellow glaze.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe gold accents on this piece are exceptionally vibrant, shining like polished gold and blending beautifully with the texture of the Bizen ware and the painterly world depicted upon it.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAbe achieves a high level of artistry in using Bizen ware—traditionally established as unglazed, high-fired stoneware—as a canvas for painting, a task demanding immense compositional skill and aesthetic sense. Yet, rather than simply boasting of these difficult technical feats, one is struck primarily by how beautiful the work itself is, and how lovely the subtle landscapes of the clay surface are.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nIncludes signed wooden box (shiho-zan, double-boxed)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 6.7cm × 5.9cm × Height 6.7cm\n\nAnjin Abe was born in Osaka Prefecture in 1938.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAspiring to be an artist from a young age, he was active as a Western-style painter.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nWhile working as a painter, he collected ceramics as a hobby, but finding contemporary Bizen ware unsatisfying, he began pottery in 1972 to create works that met his own standards.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe frequently produces tea utensils and flower vases, as well as sake vessels.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe conducts research into antique ceramics, including Old Bizen, and his forms and firing techniques, based on these theories, have garnered high acclaim both in Japan and abroad.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn recognition of his achievements, his works have been acquired by institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe actively holds solo exhibitions in Japan and internationally, including in Tokyo, Osaka, New York, Paris, and Taiwan.","brand":"安倍安人","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618045186145,"sku":"6276","price":200000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/6276.jpg?v=1790231399","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p6276","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}