{"product_id":"p8098","title":"Blue Bizen Sake Cup","description":"This is an Aobizen (blue Bizen) sake cup by the world-renowned and highly honored Intangible Cultural Property holder, Zenji Urakami.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nA ceramic history document updated through 1995 is included, suggesting this is a work from the later years of Zenji Urakami's life.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe piece features the signature Aobizen-style firing through strong reduction—a specialty of Zenji and his son, Mitsuhiro—with a bluish-gray clay body that creates a chic atmosphere.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe \"hidasuki\" (fire-cord) markings have also transformed into a deep, intense black due to the strong reduction, creating a landscape on the bluish-gray surface that resembles beams of light.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nDetails such as the comb-markings on the shoulder and the exceptionally thick foot rim allow you to fully enjoy Zenji's playful spirit and dynamic design.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is an unused item that was purchased new and kept in careful storage.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe shape of the base makes it slightly unstable, but it becomes stable once filled with liquid.\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-zan)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 6.3cm x 6.0cm x Height 5.2cm\n\nZenji Urakami was born in 1914 in Ibe, Bizen City (formerly Ibe-cho, Wake-gun), Okayama Prefecture.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1929, he began his path in ceramics by apprenticing under the master craftsman of figurative pottery, Shunko Nishimura.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter five years of training, he moved to Tokyo, where he studied woodcarving under Shin Naito and drawing under Saburo Okada and Sakujiro Okubo. In 1935, he entered the tutelage of sculptor Seibo Kitamura to study sculpture in earnest.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1938, he submitted a work to the 2nd Bunten Exhibition for the first time and was selected, followed by selections in the 3rd Bunten in 1939 and the 4th Bunten in 1940.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nFor ten years starting in 1950, he served as an instructor in the Ceramics Department at Bizen High School while continuing his creative activities as an artist.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe excelled in creating lifelike animal figurines, ceramic statues, ceramic panels, and ceramic walls grounded in realism, and was a leading figure in Bizen ceramic sculpture.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe received a bronze medal at the Le Salon exhibition in France in 1970, a silver medal in 1971, and in 1973, his \"Ox Figurine\" won a gold medal at the Le Salon 300th Anniversary Exhibition.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn the same year, he was recognized as a holder of the Okayama Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property, \"Bizen Ware Production Techniques.\"\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHis major works include a ceramic wall at Okayama Airport, a ceramic panel of Master Oyama at the Kurashiki City Art Museum, a bust of Toyo Kaneshige at the Bizen Ceramics Museum, and a ceramic statue of Kojima Takanori in Tsuyama City.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2000, he collaborated with local artists to create a massive ceramic wall at the Jingdezhen Station in China, featuring a theme of horses running across a vast prairie.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe passed away in March 2006.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nMajor awards and honors: Le Salon Exhibition (Bronze, Silver, Gold medals), Okayama Prefecture Culture Award, Miki Memorial Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, France Chagall Honorary Award, Medal with Dark Blue Ribbon, Order of the Sacred Treasure, 5th Class, Grand Prize at the Salon de Paris exhibition, etc. \/ Member of the judging committee for the Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition","brand":"浦上善次","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618242809953,"sku":"8098","price":44000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/8098.jpg?v=1790233758","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p8098","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}