Bizen-yaki (Bizen ware) guinomi (sake cup) by ceramic artist Masayuki Shimizu, zodiac sign: Dog, rare, new. Bizen-yaki is a type of pottery that utilizes the texture of the clay without using glaze. It is characterized by the changing patterns that occur during high-temperature firing, depending on the conditions within the kiln. The "Kyohen" (kiln transformation), the hardened and tightly fired surface of the clay created solely by the flames of the wood, is unique to each piece. This is a guinomi by Masayuki Shimizu, a Bizen-yaki artist, the art of fire. Masayuki Shimizu: Ceramic History 1967: Fascinated by the unique "clay" of Bizen-yaki, he became a disciple of Tougaku Mori. <Omitted> 1987: Held a pottery exhibition at Okayama Tenmaya. 1991: Held a pottery exhibition at Gallery Okumura in Shibuya, Tokyo (held biennially thereafter). 1992: Held a pottery exhibition at Odakyu Department Store in Shinjuku, Tokyo (held biennially thereafter). 2011: Held a 35th-anniversary pottery exhibition at Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi. 2012: Held a Mori Tougaku Great Kiln School Exhibition at Ashikawa Kaikan, Okayama Tenmaya. Major Awards: 17th Bizen Toushinkai Exhibition "Sanyo Shimbun Award" / Selected for the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition / Selected for the Tea Ceremony Sculpture Exhibition / Selected for the Nisshin Menbachi Exhibition I purchased this piece about twenty years ago when I traveled to Okayama and was moved by the history and culture of Bizen-yaki while walking through the town known as the home of Bizen-yaki. This is a very rare zodiac guinomi, so please pick it up and enjoy it. Thank you.