SHINSEIDAI

In an article I read just recently though from 2004 it talks about Sakikabara Keishi as part of the voice of the "new generation" in Bizen. In some respects I found this rather curious but as I survey several pieces from a collection I can see the movement toward a more mature, modern style of Bizen lead originally by potters like Mori Togaku and Isezaki Jun who in turn have taught, mentored or influenced quite a few of the "new generation" of Bizen potters. For Sakikabara his earliest training came while apprenticed to Isezaki Jun starting in 1978 where he was introduced to not only what it meant to understand tradition Bizen-yaki but also to see the potential from what was locked away in this wonderful plastic medium.    

Enjoying its momentary solitary slice of sunlight, this Bizen chawan is a nice tutorial in angles, planes and texture all further enhanced by a classic Bizen wood firing. Though I am reasonable sure this chawan was thrown first, it does have that hacked out of a solid block of clay look best known as kurinuki, before it was cut and impressed to create a rather singular look. Like the bowl itself, the foot is composed of several rather sharp, crisp cuts with a briefly tooled kodai excised out of the very center and botamochi areas where the pot was fired on wads. I should also relate that this is a substantial and solid bold, it has weight and dimension that blend tradition and modernism together with craft and sculpture which when you think of it is exactly what I would expect out of the "new generation" of Bizen potter.