Unglazed turnip-shaped Bizen-ware vase, hand-crafted using the sangiri technique. The piece is signed by the artist, Bifu Kimura, and packaged in a wooden box.
The vase is beautiful with a single-stemmed flower, or alone as a display piece. A scientist from Okayama discovered that Bizen-ware blocks 90% of far infrared rays, thus having the power to keep water fresher and flowers alive longer.
The making of...
With the sangiri (桟切り) technique, pieces placed on the outer edges of the kiln are buried in the ash. The surfaces covered by the charcoal are not exposed to the flame; the reaction of the iron in the clay to the carbon of the embers produces a distinctive bluish gray, dark grey, gray-black, or brownish black color.
About Bifu Kimura
Bifu Kimura is a 9th generation Bizen potter in Inbe, Japan. His work balances dynamic, clean shapes with the rough textures of the Bizen firing process. Today he leads Studio Kibido with his daughter Mizuho Kimura and her husband, Yosuke.
