Bizen Guinomi

This is a new Bizen sake cup by Jumpei Kaneshige, the eldest son of Kosuke Kaneshige, the leading figure of the Kaneshige family. The work is crafted using clay that adheres to the Kaneshige family's traditional methods; it was refined entirely by hand without the use of a pug mill and aged for several decades before use. This sake cup features a rare "kase-yohen" (dry kiln-transformation) landscape, which occurs in only a very limited area of a single firing. It is an exceptional piece that combines the characteristic tree-bark-like texture of "kase-goma" with a metallic, dull-glowing "haikaburi" (ash-covered) glaze landscape typical of kiln transformation. While Jumpei-sensei is known for charming many ceramic enthusiasts with his unique "tsuchiaji" (clay character), this piece focuses on the firing process, forming a rugged, protruding ash-covered rim as if magma had erupted from the ocean floor and solidified instantly upon contact with the water. The firing technique also accentuates the small patches of pristine clay surface that remain, with the vivid scarlet "hidasuki" markings surrounding the base providing a magnificent accent. Signed wooden box to be provided later
Diameter 9.4cm × Diameter 9.1cm × Height 3.5cm Jumpei Kaneshige was born in Komaba, Tokyo, in 1972, the eldest son of Kosuke Kaneshige. He graduated from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Waseda University in 1994. In 2000, he completed his graduate studies in sculpture at Long Island University in New York, USA, and upon returning to Japan, he apprenticed under his father, Kosuke Kaneshige.