23286 Living National Treasure Shimizu Uichi (Horai Red Clay Sake Cup) SHIMIZU Uichi

Height 4.0cm Diameter 7.8cm

He studied Chinese pottery under Ishiguro Munemaro, a Living National Treasure for "iron-glazed pottery." After serving as an apprentice at the National Kyoto Ceramic Testing Center, he served as an assistant in the Ceramics Department at the Kyoto Municipal Industrial Research Institute. He then devoted himself to pottery, mainly in his home pottery studio, and was recognized as a Living National Treasure for "iron-glazed pottery" at the young age of 59, the youngest person to do so at the time. In his later years, he moved his studio to the foot of Mount Horai in Kosai, Shiga Prefecture, and continued to be active as a world-renowned potter. This is the highest-ranking work by Shimizu Uichi.

This work is a very representative and popular piece fired at the Horai kiln where he spent his later years, but it is also a very rare piece with almost no similar pieces. "Horai Akadosai" is an extremely rare piece made with clay with a strong red component.