Bizen Guinomi

This is a brand-new Bizen sake cup, freshly pulled from the kiln by Kousuke Kaneshige, leader of the Kaneshige school and son of the late Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige, the great restorer of Bizen ware. This piece is fired in what is known as a *kase-yohen* (matte kiln-change) style; one side was placed in a position to catch the *kase-goma* (matte sesame ash) and *enoki-hada* (hackberry-like texture) effects, while the other side was buried in the embers against the inner wall of the kiln. The dramatic contrast in scenery, as if two different works had been cut and joined together, is fascinating, offering the luxury of enjoying both the intense, lava-like ash-covered surface and a texture so organic it hardly seems like pottery at all. Beyond that, the center features a *nuke* (fire-marked unglazed area) that reacts to moisture—a hallmark of Bizen ware—ensuring it will provide endless enjoyment for years to come. Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 6.7cm x Diameter 6.5cm x Height 5.9cm Kousuke Kaneshige is the third son of Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige. He graduated from the Department of Sculpture at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1968 and completed his master's degree in sculpture 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 creates objects, tea utensils, 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 and exhibited at the Bizen Ware Paris Exhibition in 1997. He holds solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and elsewhere. In 2012, he was designated as a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property by Okayama Prefecture.