23448 Living National Treasure MATSUI KOSEI (Neri-jo Hacho Sake Cup)

Height 4.4cm Diameter 6.3cm

Born in Nagano Prefecture, Yasunari Matsui became the head priest of Gessho-ji Temple in Kasama City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and after studying ancient ceramics from China and Japan, he devoted himself to honing the techniques of neriage, creating a unique world of expression such as shoretsu and harikou, for which he was designated a Living National Treasure in 1993. Neriage is a type of pottery made by layering different slabs of colored clay one on top of the other, shaping them, and firing them. This requires highly advanced techniques and is prone to breakage during the production process.

"Hacho" means to deviate from a set form, and is an expression that makes use of the natural, unartificial nerage pattern. This is a gem of a sake cup that elevates nerage to the realm of painting. With a unique and pleasant feel to the touch, this is your chance to treasure this work by a popular artist that will be passed down to future generations.