{"product_id":"p6257","title":"Bizen Hidasuki Sake Cup","description":"This Bizen Hidasuki sake cup is the work of Juro Harada, a prodigy described by the late Bizen luminary Matasaburo Katsura—with whom he studied ancient Bizen—as a \"force to be reckoned with.\"\u003cbr\u003e\nThis piece comes from one of the final kilns fired by Harada himself. It subverts the elegant image typical of common electric-kiln Hidasuki works, featuring an exceptionally hard, tightly-fired, and crisp Hidasuki finish.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe piece is a unique conversion of one of Harada's signature Bizen mortars (suribachi) into a sake cup, showcasing the masterful craftsmanship characteristic of a man who poured his soul into the study of ancient Bizen pottery.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe form, built by tightly compressing the clay, is truly powerful, possessing an overwhelming presence in the palm of one's hand, much like a full-sized ancient Bizen mortar.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe Hidasuki fire-marking is kept to an absolute minimum—so much so that it feels as though it occurred only by necessity. The rice straw is draped radially from the center of the base, a finish that perfectly embodies a rugged spirit.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThis piece seems to have forgotten it is a sake cup at all; it is a magnificent mortar in its own right. Clutching this cup and bringing it to your lips evokes the strange sensation of having become a giant, ten-meter-tall ogre.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nAccompanied by a signed wooden box (please note that it will take some time before it is ready for shipment).\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 9.1cm × 8.1cm × Height 4.4cm\u003cbr\u003e\n\nJuro Harada was born in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture, in 1941.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAfter graduating from Meiji University, he worked for a company before beginning his career in ceramics around 1969.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe built an ana-gama (tunnel kiln) in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year, marking the beginning of his full-scale ceramic practice.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nStarting in 1975, he traveled to ancient kiln sites to research ancient Bizen under the guidance of Bizen scholar Matasaburo Katsura.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1991, he built an ana-gama in Amidayama, Ushimado.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe was particularly renowned for his mortars (suribachi), creating vases, tea wares, and sake vessels primarily using the coil-building method, supplemented by wheel-thrown techniques.\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 with Kenji Funaki of Fushina ware at the National Museum of Ethnology in Australia.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe received the Japan Ceramic Society Award in 2000.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 2002, his work was exhibited and acquired for the opening commemorative exhibition of the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu.\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":46618043416673,"sku":"6257","price":55000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/6257.jpg?v=1790231384","url":"https:\/\/www.tourakuen.jp\/en\/products\/p6257","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}