{"product_id":"p7338","title":"Bizen ware free cup","description":"These are new Bizen free cups, just removed from the kiln by Takashi Soga, who recreates the same environment in which ancient Bizen pottery was fired to pursue the beauty of the past.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThese pieces were fired and removed from the kiln in May 2024.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nTo replicate the firing techniques of the ancient Bizen era, these pieces were fired in an all-earth kiln that does not use modern firebricks, defying the conventional wisdom of contemporary kiln firing.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe all-earth kiln itself functions like one massive piece of pottery, which is why these works transcend modern aesthetics to reveal an exquisite \"tsuchi-aji\" (texture of the clay) that rivals that of ancient Bizen ware.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nFor this firing, Soga-sensei took on the unprecedented challenge of an exceptionally long 19-day firing, resulting in a rich, red-rust colored clay texture reminiscent of ancient Bizen, accented by his signature ultra-fine \"kase-goma\" (matte ash glaze).\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe fine-textured matte ash glaze covering half of the piece gives it a soft, rounded finish that is, in the best sense, hard to believe is Bizen ware; it is a magnificent \"yohen\" (kiln transformation) that invites you to hold and turn it in your palm forever.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe base clay displays a mysterious red-rust hue, combined with black spots from the iron content in the clay and a soft skin texture—a cold, withered aesthetic characteristic of ancient Bizen that can only be achieved through an all-earth kiln.\n\nNo box included\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 7.6cm x 7.6cm x Height 9.5cm\n\nTakashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built his own all-earth kiln without the use of firebricks in Kugui, Bizen City, in 2012.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe became independent and began his career as a ceramic artist in 2013.","brand":"曽我 尭","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618122420321,"sku":"7338","price":8800.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/7338.jpg?v=1790232561","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p7338","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}