Antique Japanese Tokkuri – Bizen ware – signed Sueishi Kōsen 末石高仙 – 13 cm – Shōwa period

📐 Features

Estimated period: Showa 20th century, between 1970 and 1990
Origin: Japan, unearthed in Kyoto Prefecture
Artisan: Sueishi Kōsen 末石高仙
Material: Japanese ceramic, Bizen stoneware
Technique: Bizen-yaki 備前焼, yakishime 焼締め firing, no applied glaze
Usage: Tokkuri 徳利, sake bottle/carafe
Dimensions: Height approx. 13 cm – Diameter at widest point approx. 9 cm
Weight: approx. 267 g
Condition: Excellent vintage condition, no notable flaws.
Mark: Potter's seal/signature under the base

Description

This Japanese Bizen-yaki tokkuri is a handcrafted piece signed by Sueishi Kōsen 末石高仙, a renowned Bizen ceramist. Bizen-yaki 備前焼 is one of the Six Ancient Kilns of Japan, one of the archipelago's fundamental ceramic traditions, renowned for its strong, simple, unglazed stoneware.

The piece is made using yakishime 焼締め, a high-temperature firing without glaze: the clay is directly transformed by fire, ash, and the kiln atmosphere. No decoration is added; the nuances appear naturally during firing.

The shape is simple, balanced and rounded with a short, slightly constricted neck and a thick, flared rim, designed for serving sake. The turning marks from the rokuro 轆轤 remain visible in the material, giving this bottle a rustic, elegant, and very Japanese presence.

The surface offers beautiful natural variations: reddish-brown, dark brown, bluish-grey, ash tones, and darker areas. It embodies the spirit of Bizen stoneware, with effects similar to goma 胡麻, sangiri 桟切 and yōhen 窯変, these sought-after firing effects that make each piece unique.

This is an authentic Japanese ceramic, usable as a sake tokkuri, but also very beautiful as a small vase or wabi-sabi object.

The artisan: Sueishi Kōsen 末石高仙

Sueishi Kōsen 末石高仙, whose real name was Sueishi Takashi 末石孝, was a Japanese ceramist born in 1926 in Bizen, Okayama Prefecture. He trained with Fujiwara Rakuzan II, a great master of Bizen-yaki, particularly renowned for his work with Ao-Bizen 青備前.

Fujiwara Rakuzan II was recognized as a holder of Okayama Prefecture's Important Intangible Cultural Property for Bizen ceramics. This lineage places Sueishi Kōsen within a prestigious artisanal tradition, directly linked to one of the great names of 20th-century Bizen.

Becoming independent in 1972, Sueishi Kōsen established his own kiln and developed a well-regarded production. Now deceased, he remains sought after by enthusiasts of Bizen-yaki, collectible Japanese ceramics, and sake-related items.

🦝 Our opinion

A superb tokkuri in a raw Bizen style we love: ash, flames, mineral nuances, deep browns and bluish-greys. The effects are very successful on this piece.

And all by a Bizen artisan who is no longer with us: Sueishi Kōsen, student of master Fujiwara Rakuzan II.

With this tokkuri, your sake will taste even better!