Bizen Hidasuki Rinka Hirahai (Shallow Cup with Scalloped Rim)

This is a new *rinka* (petaled) flat sake cup by Megumi Sueda, a female ceramic artist who studied under Anjin Abe and captivates fans with her unique works. Like her mentor, Anjin Abe, the piece features *hidaski* (fire-cord) markings that appear to wrap continuously around the entire surface, yet one can see Sueda’s own distinct approach in how these lines are drawn. She has produced bold, straight *hidaski* lines against the white unglazed areas, creating an intriguing sense of contrast in the pattern. The molding, inspired by plum blossoms, is exquisitely detailed, with the cup’s rim rising in a gentle pentagonal shape that echoes the plum blossom design in the interior. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 8.0cm x Diameter 7.8cm x Height 4.3cm Megumi Sueda graduated from the Faculty of Law and Letters at Shimane University in 1990 and completed the program at the Okuizumo Pottery Research Institute, affiliated with Shimane Design College, in 2001. She began her apprenticeship under ceramic artist Anjin Abe in 2001. In 2002, she built her own fully subterranean anagama kiln, "Hanae-gama," in Yokota-cho, Nita-gun, Shimane Prefecture. She has participated in group exhibitions in Tokyo in 2002, and in Sapporo and Niigata in 2003, among others.