{"product_id":"p7168","title":"Bizen small sake bottle","description":"This is a small Bizen sake bottle by the prodigy Harada Juro, who was described as a \"fearsome talent\" and studied ancient Bizen alongside the great Bizen scholar, Katsura Matasaburo.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nJudging by the style and the inscription on the box, this piece is believed to have been created around the mid-Heisei period.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is a product of one of Harada's later kilns, where he fired his own work, and it features a profound aesthetic imbued with the knowledge and technique he cultivated through his research into ancient Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe rich, viscous *shiso*-red (perilla-leaf red) clay tone is something of a trademark for Harada, conveying the vital energy of the clay that remains even after it has been pushed to its absolute limits.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThe area that was covered during firing reveals a dry, withered clay texture, a character that makes you want to immediately pour sake into it to \"rescue\" it.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nAt first glance, it is a small, straightforward form without artifice, but it is incised with a bold, surging texture created by the *himo-zukuri* (coiling) technique—so dynamic that it is hard to call them mere wheel marks. You can almost hear the rough breathing of the artist as he tightened the clay with his fingers.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIt is the kind of sake bottle that makes you feel as though you should dote on it by filling it with sake, only to leave it roughly unattended to dry out, eventually allowing it to return to the earth, exposed to the elements.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nThis is a pre-owned piece, but it shows no signs of use or soiling.\n\nOriginal signed box (shiho-zan style)\u003cbr\u003e\nRim 3.7cm x Body diameter 8.0cm x Body diameter 8.0cm x Height 11.2cm; Capacity approx. 210cc\n\nHarada Juro 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 pottery in around 1969.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe built an *ana-gama* kiln in 1971 and a climbing kiln the following year, beginning his full-scale pottery career.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nStarting in 1975, he studied ancient Bizen by visiting old kiln sites under the guidance of the ancient Bizen researcher, Matasaburo Katsura.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nIn 1991, he built an *ana-gama* kiln in Amidayama, Ushimado.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe was particularly skilled in making *suribachi* (grinding bowls), and he created flower vases, tea wares, and sake vessels primarily using the coiling technique, supplemented by some wheel work.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe held solo exhibitions in Tokyo, Osaka, and throughout Japan.\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\nHis work was exhibited at and acquired by the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, for its opening commemorative exhibition in 2002.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHis works were also acquired by the New Orleans Museum of Art in the United States in 2005.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\nHe passed away in 2024.","brand":"原田拾六","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618091257953,"sku":"7168","price":176000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/7168.jpg?v=1790232301","url":"https:\/\/www.tourakuen.jp\/en\/products\/p7168","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}