Bizen Sake Cup

This is a Bizen sake cup by Rokuro Nakamura, a master craftsman who took pride in the Bizen tradition and was celebrated as a god of sake ware making. It is a rare piece that combines the smooth, fluid form characteristic of the master artisan Rokuro Nakamura with a vivid *hidasuki* (fire-cord) pattern. The *hidasuki* appears along the rim, giving the impression that it is wearing lipstick. The exquisite touch of the spatula marks flowing along the inside of the rim is so captivating that one feels tipsy just looking at it. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 7.7cm x Diameter 7.6cm x Height 5.0cm Until the end of the war, Rokuro Nakamura worked for a company, but in 1945 he began studying under the Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige to hone his skills, and in 1961 he established his own kiln, the Rokuro-gama. On the potter's wheel, he preferred to create sake vessels such as tokkuri sake bottles. Using the *tatara* slab-building method, he also crafted *houbin* (teapots), *kyusu* teapots, and tea bowls. His style was simple, rustic, and overflowing with a wild charm; because his work was unglazed, he placed great importance on the firing process and devoted considerable effort to the kiln-loading process, which determines the quality of the work. He was recognized as a Traditional Craftsman in 1986, the same year he received the Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Prize, and in the spring of 1989, he was awarded the Order of the Blue Paulownia Leaves (7th Class). He passed away in April 2004.