Aka Shino Saké Cup by Suzuki Tomio

Description

Shino is a style of pottery which originated in Minō (central Japan) during the Momoyama era (1573 - 1603).  The glaze is a simple mixture of ground feldspar and water, easily distinguished by its abundant pinholes and crackles.

This saké cup by Suzuki Tomio has a base of aka (red) shino with white feldspar drip details.  To produce the deep reds, Suzuki adds an iron-rich coloring agent, called onita in Japanese, which is found in certain riverbeds in Japan - a technique that has been used on shino wares for over 450 years.  In an unconventional spin, the base glaze was wiped away in vertical lines, creating troughs of citrus skin between smoother plots of rust red and snowy white.

A gem for any saké connoisseur's collection.

Suzuki Tomio's shino pottery is held in private collections around the world and, in 2011, was acquired by the Philadelphia Museum of Art for display in their East Asian Art collection.

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