Jun isezaki Bizen Ware Flower Pot Japan Designated ( Living National Treasure)

Description

Living National Treasure;
Jun Isezaki bizenware phenomenon
Bizen is a style from Okayama.
20.5 x 12.5cm
Isezaki Jun (b. 1936) the fifth Living National Treasure of Bizen is considered one of the foremost masters of the Bizen style. While using the traditional Bizen clay and incorporating the Bizen firing techniques, his vessels demonstrate unique, one of a kind details of form. His unique characteristic is his modern take on this traditional craft. He has brought back the traditional kind of kiln used in the middle ages—a kiln that is dug into a hillside like a tunnel. For the past hundred years or so it has been more common to instead use a “climbing kiln,” built on the top of the slope, which makes it possible to produce a large amount of pottery with a consistent quality. In order to bring back the earlier type of kiln, Isezaki thoroughly researched the history and spent time learning from great artists like Isamu Noguchi (1904–88) and Ikeda Masuo (1934–97).
Bizen a traditional craft that emerged nearly a thousand years ago in the Inbe district of Bizen, Okayama Prefecture. His exquisite work as a potter has earned him the coveted title of “living national treasure,” bestowed by Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs.
The works of Isezaki Jun can be found in the British Museum London, UK; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA; the Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan; among select other public and private collections.