Bizen sake cup

This is an earlier Bizen sake cup by Kosuke Kaneshige, leader of the Kaneshige school and son of the legendary Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige, the restorer of great Bizen ware. This piece dates to around 1990, shortly after Kosuke Kaneshige built his climbing kiln in Kagato. It features a harmonious blend of rich, heavily fired ash glaze (haikaburi) and a clay body with vibrant red tones. The rim is particularly well-fired, with a deep, dark, lustrous ash glaze creating a powerful contrast of red and black against the scarlet hue of the interior. (Although there are almost no signs of use, please be aware that this is an earlier work.) Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Diameter 6.3cm × Diameter 6.2cm × Height 5.9cm Kosuke Kaneshige is the third son of Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige. He graduated from the Sculpture Department of Tokyo University of the Arts in 1968 and completed his graduate studies there in 1970. He began exhibiting ceramic works in 1975, and after serving as a lecturer at Tokai University, he returned to his hometown in 1977. He built his own climbing kiln in 1982. He produces objects, tea ceremony wares, flower vases, tableware, and sake vessels. In 1991, he created the ceramic mural "Light and Wind" for the Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance Building in Okayama. He received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 1994. In 1997, he exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition. He has held solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and other locations. In 2012, he was designated as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture.