{"product_id":"p5963","title":"Bizen-yaki teacup","description":"These new Bizen teacups, fired in July, are the work of Takashi Soga, an artist who strives for the beauty of the past by recreating the environment in which old Bizen pottery was originally fired.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nTo replicate the kiln-firing style of the ancient Bizen era, these pieces were fired in an all-clay kiln that eschews the firebricks used in modern kilns—a process where conventional modern firing techniques do not apply.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe all-clay kiln functions as a single, massive piece of pottery in itself, and because of this, the works possess an exquisite \"soil character\" (tsuchi-aji) that transcends modern aesthetics and nears the quality of antique Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nSoga's kiln undergoes a transformation with every firing, a characteristic that causes the results to change constantly; this particular work features a subdued *hidasuki* (fire-cord) pattern typical of Soga, with a hint of gold-toned highlights.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nUnlike the sharp contrast between the clay surface and the *hidasuki* found in modern Bizen, this piece reflects the aesthetic of antique Bizen, where the *hidasuki* and the clay surface appear to have merged into a single, understated landscape.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nWhile the *hidasuki* is so delicate that it might almost be overlooked, there is a special charm in the way it seems to have deeply permeated the clay surface.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nRather than a soft, \"under-fired\" scarlet, this work bears a \"thoroughly fired\" crimson, overlaid with a shade of *hidasuki* one tone darker to form a deeply evocative clay texture.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAs you use it, the surface will become polished, taking on a matte finish and approaching the unpretentious, primal strength inherent in old Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nTrue to Soga's meticulous standards, the piece is crafted to be remarkably lightweight.\n\nNo box included\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 6.9cm × 6.9cm × Height 9.3cm\n\nTakashi Soga was born in Tokyo in 1984.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe apprenticed under Jun Isezaki in 2009, and in 2012, he built an all-clay kiln without the use of firebricks in Kugu-i, Bizen City.\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":46618696188001,"sku":"5963","price":8800.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/5963.jpg?v=1790240742","url":"https:\/\/www.tourakuen.jp\/en\/products\/p5963","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}