{"product_id":"p6107","title":"Bizen tea cup","description":"This is a recent Bizen tea cup by the visionary master Harada Juroku, who was famously described as having \"frightening potential\" while researching ancient Bizen pottery alongside the legendary Bizen authority, Katsura Matasaburo.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThis piece is from one of the final kilns fired by Harada himself. It perfectly captures the signature style of \"Juroku Bizen,\" featuring a profound, heavy clay texture adorned with a magnificent, dynamic coating of natural ash glaze (goma).\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nWhile Juroku’s tea cups are already rare and seldom seen, this particular work is an exceptional piece of immense volume, utilizing an amount of clay equivalent to that used for a tea bowl (chawan).\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHolding it, you feel a substantial, heavy weight like a shot put; however, the impact of his intense, sharp carving—which gives the impression that he didn’t mind if the piece broke during the process—is staggering. One realizes that such an overwhelming presence demands this kind of extraordinary weight.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nYet, the work possesses great depth beyond mere boldness, with fine spatula marks added to the inner rim to improve the user experience.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe natural black and golden firing, which feels like the culmination of his final kiln work, is also superb. In particular, the texture of the clay shines as if it were entirely coated in platinum, creating a landscape of presence that holds its own against the bold form.\n\nSigned wooden box (shiho-zan)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 8.8cm x 8.7cm x Height 7.8cm\n\nHarada Juroku was born in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture, in 1941.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter graduating from Meiji University and working in a corporate position, he began creating pottery around 1969.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1971, he built an anagama (tunnel kiln), followed by a climbing kiln the next year, and began his career in earnest.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nFrom 1975, under the guidance of the ancient Bizen expert Katsura Matasaburo, he visited old kiln sites to study historical Bizen pottery.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1991, he built an anagama on Mt. Amida in Ushimado.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe was particularly skilled at making suribachi (mortar) bowls and produced vases, tea utensils, and sake vessels primarily using the coil-building technique, with some parts thrown on a potter's wheel.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe held solo exhibitions throughout Japan, including in Tokyo and Osaka.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1983, he held a two-person exhibition at the National Museum of Ethnology in Australia alongside Fushina ware artist Funaki Kenji.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2000, he received the Japan Ceramic Society Award.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2002, he exhibited at the opening commemoration exhibition of the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, where his work was added to the collection.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2005, his work was acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in the United States.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe passed away in 2024.","brand":"原田拾六","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618031063137,"sku":"6107","price":66000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/6107.jpg?v=1790231283","url":"https:\/\/www.tourakuen.jp\/en\/products\/p6107","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}