ISHIDA Kazuya Abyss Sake Jug

Description

Ishida Kazuya’s Abyss sake jug is part of his surprising and innovative Abyss series. His experimental approach continually leads him in new directions — most recently toward porcelain.
This is particularly striking in Bizen, a region traditionally known for rustic, unglazed stoneware fired in wood kilns.

For the Abyss series, Ishida Kazuya uses “wild porcelain”, which he sources personally directly from a mine at a depth of around 150 meters — a material that is otherwise used as a raw ingredient for industrial ceramics in Seto. Working this clay on his own terms gives Ishida-san a wide degree of creative freedom.

To create the Abyss sake jug and its matching sake cups, Ishida Kazuya finely sieves the porcelain to achieve an especially smooth, fluid surface and marbles it with cobalt. Light ash deposits from the anagama wood firing add further complex, landscape-like patterns.

Capacity: approx. 100 ml

ISHIDA KAZUYA

Spirals and Waves: A Portrait of Nature in the Bizen Style

Ishida Kazuya comes from a family of potters in Bizen. Bizen is one of Japan’s most important ceramic regions and is renowned for its unglazed, high-fired pottery.

For four years, Ishida Kazuya studied under Isezaki Jun, Bizen’s current Living National Treasure. His experience in the United Kingdom, where he worked with slip and slipware techniques, has also had a strong influence on his work. Ishida Kazuya developed a distinctive interpretation of the Bizen style, which he calls Rahō (螺法). The name is derived from spiral-shaped shells.

Indeed, his creations are deeply inspired by nature. Ishida-san is fascinated by the dynamic forms and movements found in ancient rocks and spiralling seashells, and he seeks to capture these patterns in his work. Firing in a traditional noborigama or anagama kiln adds further layers of complexity to each piece through the effects of flame and the natural deposition of wood ash.