Bizen Kuro Tokkuri

This is a Bizen black sake bottle by Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki, an artist who continues to lead the world of Bizen ware with an inexhaustible creative power. The yellow sesame glaze (*kigoma*) is exceptionally beautiful and rare, resembling both the skin of a fruit and the appearance of being showered in a rain of sesame. The piece also exhibits the distinct blue scenery characteristic of black Bizen works, with a vibrant light-blue kiln-transmutation (*yohen*) peeking out from beneath a golden waterfall effect. The stately, taut body boasts a magnificent, rounded form reminiscent of a premium piece of fruit, further accentuated by the beautiful sesame scenery. Signed wooden box (*tomobako*) with four-cornered locking lid
Rim 3.8cm × Body diameter 10.3cm × Body diameter 10.3cm × Height 14.6cm; Capacity approx. 600cc Jun Isezaki was born the second son of Yozan Isezaki, a master of ceramic craft, and learned pottery from a young age before embarking on his professional career after graduating from the Okayama University Special Art Course in 1959. His body of work is vast, ranging from traditional vases, plates, and tea ceremony wares to ceramic murals and sculptural objects. He places great emphasis on both forming and firing, characterized by a contemporary style that maximizes the unique properties of his materials and various kilns (anagama, climbing kilns, and electric kilns). He is also recognized as a leading relief artist and has unveiled numerous works. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1966 and served as a special art lecturer at Okayama University for nine years starting in 1978. In 1998, he and his brother, Mitsuru, were both designated as Holders of Important Intangible Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture; that same year, he became the secretary general of the Chugoku branch of the Japan Kōgei Association. In July 2004, he was designated as a Living National Treasure (Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property).
Awards: Recipient of the Kaneshige Toyo Prize, the Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Prize, the Sanyo Shimbun Prize, the Excellence Award at the Chanoyu Modeling Exhibition, and many others; Prefectural Exhibition Judge.