Ibe Shuten

This Bizen sake cup (shuzomi) is the work of Masashiro Aiga, an artist who creates works that are uncompromising and imbued with integrity. By applying a clay slip using a carefully selected blend of various soils, he has successfully produced a deep, profound shiso-red hue that radiates a faint glow. The vivid ochre of the generously applied yellow sesame glaze (kigoma) complements the shiso-red of the body, with each color enhancing the other. A thick, viscous layer of kigoma that looks as though it could be pinched with one's fingers is placed in the interior of the cup; when viewed while filled with sake, it combines with the ripples to create an even greater sense of three-dimensionality. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included.
Diameter: 7.8cm × 7.2cm × Height: 5.1cm Masashiro Aiga graduated from the Okayama Prefectural Bizen Pottery Center in 1997. In 2003, he built a fully underground anagama kiln in Sabo. The following year, in 2004, he built a second, semi-underground anagama kiln, and continues to devote himself to his craft.