{"product_id":"p5922","title":"Bizen Hidasuki Sake Bottle","description":"This is a Bizen hidaski sake bottle by Sozan Kaneshige, who began his career as an assistant to his elder brother, the legendary potter Toyo Kaneshige, and went on to create works beloved by many as a master craftsman of Bizen ware.\u003cbr\u003e\nAlthough Sozan-sensei began creating Bizen ware in earnest at his Maruyama kiln when he was in his mid-fifties, this work is estimated to have been produced between the ages of sixty and seventy, and is a hidaski-fired sake bottle created in an electric kiln, which became one of his hallmarks.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIt was meticulously fired in a custom-made electric kiln that allows for both electric and wood firing, with the maximum characteristic of this kiln being the rich colors and moist texture of the clay.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe soft, mugwort-colored clay, the true essence of Sozan’s hidaski, is superb, and its beauty and depth possess a truly fragrant elegance that makes one imagine the smile on Sozan Kaneshige's face upon perfecting the hidaski firing process in an electric kiln.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn terms of form, while the style is generous, it also contains a tension in the rising of the clay, and in this particular piece, the exquisite balance between the neck and the body is unparalleled.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe body draws a perfect curve characteristic of Sozan-sensei, who studied ancient ceramics alongside his brother, and the sense of balance as it converges toward the shoulder and rim can only be described as genius.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe thick wrapping of the hidaski pattern around the neck like a scarf further enhances the refreshing catharsis of its flowing deformation toward the rim, suggesting this is a work from a period when he had truly mastered the essence of hidaski firing through repeated electric kiln firings.\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-san)\u003cbr\u003e\nRim 3.8cm x Body diameter 10.4cm x Body diameter 10.3cm x Height 15.1cm Capacity approx. 530cc\n\nSozan Kaneshige (1909–1995) was the younger brother of Bizen ware Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige, and worked with him until around 1951.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nSubsequently, he engaged in service activities for the Oomoto religion in Kyoto, where he also studied techniques other than Bizen ware.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1964, he built a climbing kiln in Maruyama, Okayama City, and became independent.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1966, he perfected hidaski firing using an electric kiln.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1982, he moved his studio to Inbe and built the Ushigami-shita kiln.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1983, he was certified as a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property designated by Okayama Prefecture.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe passed away in 1995.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nMajor awards include the Miki Memorial Award, the Sanyo Shimbun Cultural Award, the Commissioner for Cultural Affairs Award, the Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award, and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.","brand":"金重素山","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618017693793,"sku":"5922","price":180000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/5922.jpg?v=1790231160","url":"https:\/\/www.tourakuen.jp\/en\/products\/p5922","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}