Bizen Guinomi

This sake cup dates from the Ken era of the third-generation Fujiwara Rakuzan, an artist who grew up watching his father—a man who never compromised in his ceramics—and went on to succeed a prestigious, time-honored name to forge his own path in the craft. Produced around 1975, this piece was created during the artist’s "Ken" period, before he inherited the name third-generation Fujiwara Rakuzan. Its silhouette is somewhat reminiscent of the sake cups by his father, the second-generation Rakuzan, particularly in its shape, which looks like a miniature tea bowl, and its tapered shoulders. The simple, tea-brown clay surface features an elegant yellow sesame glaze (*goma*), creating an understated aesthetic characteristic of Bizen ware. The damp, lustrous sheen seen on the sesame glaze at the front is a hallmark of the Rakuzan kiln, also frequently found in the works of his father. Original signed box (two-way crossbar construction)
Diameter 7.1cm × 7.0cm × Height 5.3cm The third-generation Fujiwara Rakuzan is the eldest son of the second-generation Fujiwara Rakuzan, an Intangible Cultural Property holder renowned for his tea bowls and incense burners. Inspired by his father’s uncompromising work ethic, he followed in his footsteps and entered the world of pottery. Upon graduating from Bizen High School in 1961, he began an intensive apprenticeship under his father and became independent in 1966. He assumed the name third-generation Fujiwara Rakuzan in 2002. Primarily working with the potter’s wheel, he creates a wide range of pieces, including tea bowls, water jars, and incense burners, as well as sake bottles, plates, sake cups, and vases. Captivated by the beauty of the sesame glaze found on antique Bizen ware, he also focuses on creating traditional family-style blue Bizen with salt glaze. He has been selected for the Japan Traditional Kogei-shi Exhibition and various prefectural exhibitions, and has held solo exhibitions at department stores in Chiba and Niigata.