{"product_id":"p8074","title":"Long time no drink.","description":"This is an earlier work of a sake cup (guinomi) by Mori Togaku, a master who achieved the historic ceramic feat of firing an 85-meter-long great kiln.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThis piece dates to the artist's middle period and comes with a ceramic history document updated through 1993.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIt was created after Mori moved to Sabukaze following his work with the Aioi great kiln; it features beautiful \"tobi-goma\" (splashed sesame glaze) on the clean, white Sabukaze clay.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe piece also displays the distinct Sabukaze kiln gradation from scarlet to brownish-ochre; the way the white clay shifts in hue, reminiscent of ripening fruit, is endlessly captivating.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAround this time, Mori transitioned to forming techniques using plaster molds, and this piece is composed of three sections to create its hexagonal rim.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nUnlike wheel-thrown works, it is difficult to discern the artist's rhythm or breath in the markings, which imparts an somewhat inorganic quality to the piece.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHowever, this inorganic nature enhances the harmony with the Sabukaze white clay, resulting in a refined design that feels both primitive and timeless.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThough an earlier work, it is in excellent condition with no signs of wear or soil.\n\nIncludes signed wooden box (shiho-san)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 6.3cm x 6.0cm x Height 5.8cm\n\nMori Togaku was born in 1937 in Imbe, Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture, the eldest son of Mori Hideji, who carried on the lineage of the Six Families of Bizen ware.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter graduating from the Special Art Course at Okayama University in 1959, he worked as a junior high school art teacher before resigning in 1962 to return to his family home and pursue a full-time career in ceramics.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe following year, in 1963, he was selected for the Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition for the first time, and in 1966, he became a full member of the Japan Kogei Association.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1969, he held a three-person exhibition in Tokyo with Issei Ezaki and Shoji Kamoda. A cylindrical earthenware vessel exhibited there was purchased by the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and he received the Japan Ceramic Society Award that same year.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nCaptivated by the overwhelming beauty of ancient Bizen, he began construction of the 46-meter-long Aioi great kiln in Aioi City, Hyogo Prefecture, in 1972, aiming to recreate the medieval great kilns that produced antique Bizen ware.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe completed the Aioi great kiln in 1979 and ignited it in 1980, successfully conducting a firing that lasted approximately two months.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nBuilding on that experience, he moved to Sabukaze in Ushimado-cho, Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture, and completed the 53-meter-long Sabukaze great kiln in 1983. He ignited it in December 1985 and held the first kiln opening in 1986.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe continued experimental firings at the Sabukaze great kiln, pursuing the beauty of ancient Bizen and the mysteries of great-kiln firing.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1996, he received the Sanyo Shimbun Prize (for cultural service) and was designated as a holder of the Okayama Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property \"Bizen Ware Production Techniques.\"\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1997, he exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition, and in 2002, he received the Japan Ceramic Society Gold Award.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2008, he completed the new Sabukaze great kiln (85 meters long, 6 meters wide, 3 meters high), a project he had been preparing for some time. After numerous modifications, he finally achieved an unprecedented firing success in 2015.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThrough a firing process lasting approximately three months, he brought the beauty of ancient Bizen back to the modern age and realized a variety of kiln changes (yohen) possible only in a great kiln, achieving a feat that will go down in the history of ceramics.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nMajor awards and honors: Japan Ceramic Society Award, Sanyo Shimbun Prize (Cultural Service), Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, Japan Ceramic Society Gold Award, Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award, Medal with Purple Ribbon, Fukutake Culture Award, Okayama Prefecture Miki Memorial Award, etc. \/ Judge for the Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition","brand":"森 陶岳","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618239074401,"sku":"8074","price":38500.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/8074.jpg?v=1790233717","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p8074","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}