{"product_id":"p6530","title":"Bizen Sake Cup","description":"This Bizen sake cup is by Takashi Soga, an artist who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the same conditions in which old Bizen ware was fired.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThis latest work was removed from the kiln in December 2021.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nTo reproduce the firing methods of the old Bizen era, the piece was fired in a kiln made entirely of clay—eschewing the firebricks that were non-existent at the time—where modern firing conventions do not apply.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nBecause the all-clay kiln itself becomes a massive piece of pottery, it imbues the work with an exquisite texture that transcends modern aesthetics and approaches the quality of old Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe clay kiln used by Soga-sensei undergoes a transformation with every firing, a characteristic that causes the results to constantly change; in this piece, we see a white, granite-like surface texture accompanied by a cloudy white *goma* (ash glaze).\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nWhile distinct from the cream-colored *goma* found on old Bizen, it features complex, layered gray *goma* that is somewhat reminiscent of old Iga ware.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe primary clay surface is a silver hue speckled with black particles evocative of granite, into which natural glaze has intruded with the flames, leaving a scene that looks as if it has been scorched and carbonized.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nTrue to Soga-sensei’s style, it possesses a soft, supple texture as if it had been used for decades; despite the dramatic landscape of the piece, it is extremely pleasant to the touch and one finds themselves wanting to hold it forever.\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-san style)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 6.8cm x 6.7cm x Height 5.4cm\n\nTakashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009, and in 2012, he built a kiln made entirely of clay, without the use of firebricks, in Kukuin, Bizen City.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe became independent and began his pottery career in 2013.","brand":"曽我 尭","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618056294497,"sku":"6530","price":16500.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/6530.jpg?v=1790231614","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p6530","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}