Ibe Guinomi

This Ibe guinomi (sake cup) is the work of the master craftsman Mitsuru Isezaki, who loved Bizen ware and made significant contributions to the Bizen region. While not a flashy example of kiln transformation, it features a refined finish based on sangiri (kiln-floor) firing. Within the silvery world of the sangiri, the gold-tinged, reddish-purple clay texture serves as a subtle accent. Every detail, from the sturdy foot to the dynamic rim, encapsulates the expertise of a master craftsman. It is a quiet, understated, and easy-to-use piece that lacks ostentation. Signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 6.4cm × Diameter 6.3cm × Height 5.8cm Born in 1934 as the eldest son of Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki, Mitsuru Isezaki learned pottery techniques from his father from a young age and later majored in sculpture at the Okayama University Special Art Course. As an authentic tea ceramic artist, he pursued the forms, clay textures, and firing styles of the Momoyama period. He distinguished between the use of climbing kilns and medieval-style anagama (tunnel kilns) depending on the piece, strictly avoiding electric or gas kilns in favor of firing with pine firewood. He became a full member of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1964 and received the Toyo Kaneshige Award in 1974. He was honored with the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Merit Award in 1994 and the 15th Tabe Museum Grand Prize in 1998. In March of that 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: 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 invitee