{"product_id":"p6367","title":"Bizen Sake Cup","description":"This is a Bizen sake cup (guinomi) from an earlier period by the brilliant artist Juroku Harada, a prodigy once described as \"frighteningly talented,\" who studied old Bizen pottery alongside the great Bizen authority, Katsura Matasaburo.\u003cbr\u003e\nA ceramic history profile dated up to the year 2000 is included, suggesting this piece was created around that time.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe front features the heart-shaped carving that Harada favored, leaving an unforgettable, powerful impact at first glance.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe firing is as bold as the heart mark, showing intense effort; a natural green ash glaze reminiscent of Iga pottery has vitrified onto the surface, while some areas are scorched to a texture resembling freshly excavated ore.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe strong firing has also influenced the clay’s appearance, with a base of light brownish-red on the front and back where the glaze didn't catch, and a luscious, melting chocolate color at the edges of the kiln transformation and inside the cup.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe applied foot—Harada’s trademark—is also magnificent, left deliberately raw to harmonize with the overall composition.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nWhile one might expect this wild, exposed aesthetic to be overwhelming, the cup is surprisingly well-balanced in weight when held. It offers a masterful experience that cannot be dismissed simply as \"daring,\" evidenced by details such as the rim, which is firmly finished with a spatula over the coil-built structure.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-zan, no cord)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 7.5cm x 6.6cm x Height 7.1cm\n\nJuroku Harada 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\nHe built an anagama kiln in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year, commencing his full-scale pottery production.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nStarting in 1975, he studied old kiln sites and antique Bizen under the guidance of the old Bizen researcher Matasaburo Katsura.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1991, he built an anagama kiln at Mt. Amida in Ushimado.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe was particularly renowned for his suribachi (mortar) forms, and created vases, tea wares, and sake vessels primarily using coil-building techniques, with some use of the potter's wheel.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe held solo exhibitions across Japan, including in Tokyo and Osaka.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1983, he held a two-person exhibition with Kenji Funaki of Fushina ware 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\nHis work was exhibited and acquired by the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, for their opening exhibition in 2002.\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":46618050199649,"sku":"6367","price":80000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/6367.jpg?v=1790231484","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p6367","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}