Bizen sake bottle

This is an earlier work of Bizen sake flask by the master artisan Mitsuru Isezaki, who loved Bizen ware and made immense contributions to Bizen. Although created when he was quite young, it exhibits the same magnificent form as his later works, speaking to the brilliance of Isezaki's ceramic technique. It is covered in intense kiln transformations, with the white crystallized *goma* (ash glaze) being a highlight. The clay quality reveals a beautiful *shiso* (perilla) color, making this a flask where one can enjoy not only the strength of the firing but also the quality of the clay itself. (*Please note that as this is an early work, there are slight signs of use and some adhesions from the goma on the lower body.) Signed wooden box (double-slatted lid)
Rim 3.5cm × Body diameter including glaze drip 10.5cm × Body diameter 10.1cm × Height 12.5cm Capacity 400cc Mitsuru Isezaki was born in 1934 as the eldest son of the Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki. He learned ceramic techniques from his father from a young age and majored in sculpture at the Okayama University Special Art Course. As a master of authentic tea ceramics, he pursued Momoyama-style forms, clay textures, and firing techniques. He distinguished between the use of climbing kilns and medieval anagama kilns depending on the piece, and insisted on firing with pine wood, never using electric or gas kilns. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Toyo Kaneshige Award in 1974. He received the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Merit Award in 1994 and the 15th Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize in 1998. In March of the same year, he was designated as a Prefectural Important Intangible Cultural Property holder. He passed away in August 2011 at the age of 77.
Awards and honors include: The Toyo Kaneshige Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Nichinichi Shimbun Art and Culture Merit Award, Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition, and many others / Prefectural Exhibition Guest