Hikidashiguro Guinomi

This is a newly fired *hikidashiguro kake-wake* sake cup by Koichiro Isezaki, who, born as the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki, breathes new life into the world of Bizen ware with his extraordinary sense and skillful sculpting ability. While leveraging the characteristics of Bizen ware as an earthen medium, he skillfully incorporates essences from his roots—such as wood carving—to create unique works that are recognizable as his own at a single glance. Using the *hikidashi* (drawn-out) technique, where the piece is removed from the kiln during firing, the kiln transformations and overall landscape take on gem-like qualities; the *goma* (ash glaze) turns an amber hue, while the blue sections resemble azurite, creating a mysterious landscape that is truly overwhelming. The piece is formed by tearing a large sphere of clay in two and joining them back together before shaping it into a sphere, which creates natural protrusions and fine wrinkles on the surface of the vessel. These textures cause variations in the thickness of the natural glaze and the applied black slip, adding even greater complexity to the shading of the *hikidashiguro*. This work is a *kake-wake* (partially glazed) piece with black slip applied to sections, and by using white clay as the base, it offers a four-color palette of amber, clear black, indigo, and crystal white. (*Please note that the cup is slightly unstable due to the shape of the base.) Signed wooden box to follow (please allow some time for shipping).
Diameter 9.0cm x 8.9cm x Height 5.7cm Koichiro Isezaki was born the eldest son of Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki. The Isezaki family is a prestigious line of Bizen potters, with his grandfather, the Intangible Cultural Property holder Yozan Isezaki, and his uncle, the Intangible Cultural Property holder Mitsuru Isezaki; Koichiro himself aspired to be a ceramic artist from an early age. After graduating from the Department of Sculpture at Tokyo Zokei University in 1994, he studied abroad in the United States. He trained under Jeff Shapiro, a ceramic artist based in New York City, for approximately two years, greatly broadening his perspective on art and pottery. After returning to Japan in 2000, he worked diligently in his training under the guidance of his father and his father's apprentices. In 2002, he submitted a work to the Tanabe Museum of Art Tea Ceremony Exhibition, where it was selected for the first time.