Bizen Guinomi

This Guinomi comes with a pottery record dating back to 2004 and was fired during the later period of Shuroku Harada’s own kiln.
Unlike the elegant image typical of Hidasuki works, this piece features an extremely hard, tightly fired Hidasuki surface.
It was protected from direct flame by being placed inside a saggar within an anagama kiln, resulting in a slightly bluish-white clay body with matte orange Hidasuki markings.
On the front, there is a heart motif, a design favored by Shuroku Harada.
Instead of simply carving the surface, he removed part of the clay body itself, reinforced it from the inside, and even hand-finished the edge of the heart.
The Guinomi has a solid presence without feeling overly heavy, offering a comfortable grip thanks to its smooth surface and gently curved body.
Please note: after holding water for about three hours, a slight dampness appears at the bottom of the heart motif.

He was born in Okayama Prefecture in 1941.
He became a potter in 1969.
He became a disciple of Matasaburo Katsura in 1975 and studied Old Bizen.
He died in 2024.