Sohen Kuro Guinomi

Hiroshi Goseki trained under Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki before establishing his kiln in Ibaraki Prefecture.
This is his Souhen Kuro Guinomi (sake cup).

At a glance, the use of black slip clearly recalls the Isezaki lineage, and the work is titled Souhen Kuro ("Blue-Changing Black") because the areas where the natural ash glaze has accumulated turn a vivid cobalt blue.

Upon the calm kigoma (yellow-sesame) surface, which carries a slightly greenish tone, there appears a rich cobalt-blue yohen (transmutation) fully worthy of the name Souhen.

For this piece, the basic form was first built up to a certain extent using slab construction, and then carefully adjusted by hand in the finishing stage.
The result is an exceptional form that conveys the quiet stillness and subtle fluctuation of a Raku tea bowl.

The black interior differs in mood from the surface, taking on the deep tone of finely prepared black ink and creating a captivating depth that seems to draw the eye inward, perfectly suited to the serene character of the work.

He was born in Chiba Prefecture in 1988.
He became a student of Jun Isezaki in 2013.
He became independent as a potter in 2017 and built a kiln in Ibaraki Prefecture in 2019.