Bizen Suiteki Lion head

Hikaru Shimamura is a leading figure in contemporary Bizen ware of the Saikumono genre.
Saikumono requires a wealth of knowledge and a huge amount of time to produce, and can hardly be described as efficient.
For this reason, there are fewer potters who try their hand at Saikumono today.
He revolutionized the genre.
Instead of designing imaginary animals with precision, he recreated common objects and animals around us in stylish depictions.
Suiteki are tools used to hold water during calligraphy.
Suiteki were often made in the past, but no one makes them anymore today.
They have a very unique look, as if they were cartoon characters.

He was born in 1942 in Osafune, Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture.
He built an anagama kiln in Osafune in 1978.
He built kilns in Kugui, Bizen City in 1992.