{"product_id":"p5939","title":"Bizen Sake Cup","description":"This is a new Bizen sake cup, fresh from the kiln in July, by Takashi Soga, an artist who challenges the beauty of antiquity by recreating the same environment in which ancient Bizen ware was fired.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nTo reproduce the firing style of the ancient Bizen era, these pieces are fired in a kiln made entirely of clay, without using the refractory bricks that did not exist at the time, and defying the conventional wisdom of modern kiln firing.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe clay-only kiln itself becomes a single massive piece of pottery, which is why the works produced within it transcend modern aesthetics to reveal a superb \"tsuchi-aji\" (the flavor of the clay) that rivals that of ancient Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn Mr. Soga's kiln, the kiln itself transforms with every firing, a characteristic that causes the finish of the pieces to change constantly; this time, the firing produced the brightest scarlet skin seen to date.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe scarlet color itself is not the soft finish seen in climbing kilns, but rather a robust red resulting from the clay fully maturing during the firing process. The piece already possesses an exquisite luster, giving it the appearance of a well-worn piece of ancient Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is combined with Mr. Soga's other signature feature: a finely-grained \"kase-hada\" (matte, crust-like texture) that is so pleasant, you will want to roll it in your palm forever.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nWhile maintaining the simple form of his previous work, this piece has a slightly thicker build.\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-zan)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 7.4cm × 7.3cm × Height 4.0cm\n\nTakashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe studied under Jun Isezaki in 2009 and built a kiln made entirely of clay, without the use of refractory bricks, in Kukui, Bizen City in 2012.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe became independent and began his career as a ceramic artist in 2013.","brand":"曽我 尭","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618693075041,"sku":"5939","price":16500.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/5939.jpg?v=1790240714","url":"https:\/\/www.tourakuen.jp\/en\/products\/p5939","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}