Bizen Pottery Artist "森 大雅 / Taiga Mori" made "Aobizen Gui-nomi / Sake Cup" JAC-BZM-404-M35

This “Gui-nomi” has no painted patterns and has a rustic texture, but the rich texture and feel of the pottery skin enhances the taste of sake.
The artist, Mr. Taiga Mori, created this piece with the hope that it will help people enjoy drinking sake.

This work is recommended as a gift for yourself as well as for your loved ones.

*In a paulownia wood box. (The box is inscribed with the signature and inscription of the potter, "森 大雅 / Taiga Mori")
*Please check the images.

About "Gui-nomi Sake cup"
"Gui-nomi Sake cup" is a sake drinking vessel that is used to drink directly from, like an "Ochoko / small sakecup".
"Ochoko" is a small sake cup that holds a small amount of sake to be consumed in one gulp.
"Gui-nomi" is deeper and has a larger diameter than "Ochoko".

"備前焼 / Bizen ware" is a ceramic art that has been handed down over millennia
"備前焼 / Bizen ware" is one of the "Six Old Kilns of Japan" along with Seto, Tokoname, Echizen, Shigaraki, and Tanba, and has a history of over a thousand years.
The oldest and most historic of these kilns is "備前焼 / Bizen ware".
Bizen City in Okayama Prefecture is a major center of Bizen Pottery, and there are still many kilns in the city, where numerous Bizen Pottery artists devote themselves to creating works of art.
It is said that the kilns in this area have not been extinguished for more than 1,000 years.

"clay making" determines the quality of the works The foundation of "Bizen ware" lies in "clay making" which greatly influences the quality of the product, as it is said, "1 [clay], 2 [firing], 3 [shape].
The raw clay material is soil collected from the bottom of a rice field called "Hiyose", which was deposited in the Ibe area of Bizen City and other areas.
This clay contains a large amount of iron and a variety of organic matter, which reacts with high-temperature flames to produce a wide range of kiln deformation.
The clay "Hiyose" is exposed to the elements for several years, and then undergoes a number of processes, including "Sui-hi" (sieving to determine particle size), "Kage-bohi" (drying in the shade to remove moisture), and "Nekashi" (aging) to allow the clay to mature.

The most attractive feature of Bizen ware is "窯変 / Yo-hen, Kiln Transformation (change of the ceramic surface)". The greatest characteristic of "Bizen ware" is its simple and rustic beauty, which is neither glazed nor painted.
Using "split red pine wood", which is essential for "Bizen ware", as fuel, the pots are slowly fired for about 10 days in a "climbing kiln" with a high-temperature flame that reaches 1,200°C.
Firing by the "Yaki-shime" technique, which has been handed down from generation to generation, produces a "Yo-hen" effect on the ceramic surface.
The beauty of "Bizen ware" lies in the "Yo-hen" (kiln transformation) created by the scorching heat of the flames.

Three features of "Yo-hen" (kiln transformation)

"Go-ma / sesame"
The ashes of the "split red pine wood" used as fuel melt and vitrify at high temperatures, producing a pattern on the the ceramic surface that looks like sesame seeds sprinkled on the surface.
These "Go-ma / sesame" are most often found in kilns that are fired near relatively high-temperature fires.

"San-giri"
This is a kiln alteration that occurs during the firing process when a piece is buried in ash on the kiln floor and not directly exposed to the fire, or when it is fired in a reduction firing process due to air currents, etc.
The color of the ceramic skin can be gray, dark gray, or blue.

"Hi-dasuki"
The beautiful pattern is characterized by the scarlet "tasuki" (a red sash) on the white or light-colored ceramic surface, as the name "Hi-dasuki" implies.
This scarlet pattern appears when a work is fired with straw wrapped around it.
Originally, this pattern appeared when straw was placed or wrapped between pieces to prevent them from sticking to each other in the kiln.

- History
1974 / Born at Inbe in Bizen city, Okayama prefecture
2000 / Completed the course at Ceramic Center. Taken over the grandfather’s kiln (Name: Fuurai), and learned pottery and sculpture from Gyokusyu Kimura
2001 / First solo exhibition at Toumidori in Tokyo
Okayama Tenmaya Exhibition, Matsuya Ginza Exhibition (8 times), Kobe Daimaru Exhibition (3 times), Hakata Daimaru Exhibition (twice)
2008 / Created an extremely small portable kiln that rides on a light truck
2013 / Travel in France for making kiln
Exhibition, and lecture at Category:Musée national de la porcelaine Adrien Dubouché in Paris
2014 / Travel across America for pottery study and international exchange
Group Exhibition at Urasenke New York Branch
2016 / Exhibition “Bizen-Yaki Speaker” at Milan Furniture Fair
2017 / Exhibition and lecture at Ceramics Museum Berlin, Tea Ceremony Exhibition
International group exhibition at Tiantai Mountain National Museum in China with 2 pottery artists
2018 / Exhibition at Collect in England, and Vietnam
2019 / Exhibition in Costa Rica, Taiwan, Korea, and Tokyo
Started GalleryKai (Inbe, 1506-1) by joint managements
2020 / Exhibiting at ONE ART Taipei2020, ART FAIR PHILIPPINES 2020, ART NAGOYA

- Travel History
Find time and go on a journey. Nepal, Bhutan, Turkey, Thai, and Germany. (1 Exhibition), France (3 Exhibitions), China (4 Exhibitions), Cambodia, and Vietnam (1Exhibition), Costa Rica (1Exhibition), Korea (1 exhibition), Taiwan (4 exhibitions), Mexico and so on.

- Artist-in-residence program
France (2013), Suzu city in Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan (2018), and Onggi Museum at Jeju city in Korea (2019)

Awards 2003 / Rookie of the year at Art-Mirai International Open Exhibition
2011 / Tanabe Museum of Art "Chanoyu Modeling Exhibition", selected
Pola Foundation for the promotion of traditional Japanese Culture, at Ceramic Art Foundation Exhibition, selected
Japan Kogei Association Chugoku branch Exhibition (2009～2010), selected
Okayama Art Exhibition (2009～2010), selected

Bizen Pottery Artist "森 大雅 / Taiga Mori" made "Aobizen Gui-nomi / Sake Cup"
The Work No : JAC-BZM-404-M35
*In a paulownia wood box. (The box is inscribed with the signature and inscription of the potter, "森 大雅 / Taiga Mori")
The Work size : About Φ75 ㎜ × Height 55 ㎜
Paulownia wood box size / About 99 ㎜ × 99 ㎜ × Height 92 ㎜
The Work weight : About 96 g

1,000 JPY flat rate shipping within Japan, free shipping for purchases totaling 20,000 JPY or more.
Please bear the actual cost for shipping charges outside Japan.

To use "Bizen Pottery" for long years, please note the following precautions.
Please be careful of sudden temperature changes.
Bizen Pottery is made from high quality clay and fired slowly, so it may be damaged by sudden temperature changes.
●Pouring boiling water or other hot water into "Bizen Pottery" while they are excessively chilled in a freezer can cause them to crack or break.
●Not for use in microwave ovens, ovens, or over an open flame.
●Please refrain from using a dishwasher as much as possible, as it may be washed at high temperatures.

If you are using a teacup or sake cup to pour hot liquids for the first time, we recommend the following preparation procedure before use.
This preparation increases heat resistance and reduces the risk of breakage.
1. Fill a pot large enough to hold the entire piece of pottery, such as a teacup or sake cup to be used, with water and submerge the pottery completely.
2. Gradually heat the pot in which the pottery is submerged over a flame, and when it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer as it is for about 10 minutes.
3. Once the fire is extinguished, let it cool naturally as it is, and the preliminary preparation is complete.