Ao-Bizen Shuhai

This is an Ao-Bizen Shuhai by Mitsuhiro Kaneshige, who was born into the Kaneshige Ritouen, one of the six traditional Bizen kiln families, yet pursues his own path in pottery without being bound by the family name.

This piece aims for an Ao-Bizen style firing through intense reduction flames, while also retaining a beautiful gradation created by natural ash glaze.

The blue-toned firing caused by the reduction flames has produced a refreshing blue surface across the entire piece, giving it a color reminiscent of Sueki ware, the ancestor of Bizen ware.

In addition, natural ash glaze has settled along the rim almost like lipstick, while the blue surface has reacted with the glaze to create black fire effects. The subtle combination of blue and black gives the piece a particularly fascinating character.

The carefully considered wheel marks inside, reminiscent of a pool of tea, are beautifully resolved, and the trimmed foot, with its crepe-like wrinkles, is equally impressive.

Mitsuhiro Kaneshige was born in 1988 in Imbe, Bizen City, into the Kaneshige Ritouen, one of the six kiln families of Bizen.

He entered the Bizen Ceramic Art Center in 2017 and held his first kiln firing in 2020.

In 2023, he received the Shubi Prize at the Chanoyu no Zokeiten, and in 2024, he held his first solo exhibition.