A large pottery Matcha Tea Bowl by Isezaki Youtarou enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled xcopy Mentori Chawan. A futuristic masked character of his own design adorns the peeling texture of the bowl, while inside it is lined with silver. The box is decorated with the same animated character, and retains the original printed cover as well. The bowl is 12 cm (5 inches) diameter, almost the same height and in perfect condition, directly from the artist this year.
Isezaki Youtarou was born in Bizen, son of a traditional potter known for tea ware, in 1995. He graduated Seika University in Kyoto before enrolling at the the Tajimi Design Institute. He makes use of ancient inherited techniques, modern graphics, and a century of technological innovation in transfer ware. The works are hand-built, slabbed and trimmed then bisk fired. He then creates a print transfer which is applied to the low-fired surface, and further burnishes it before glazing and re-firing. As a rising artist, he actively participates in exhibitions across Japan. Despite his young age, his work has been highly acclaimed, earning him the Newcomer’s Award at the Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition, Chugoku Branch in 2021. In 2023, he was recognized at the Contemporary Ceramics Hagi Grand Prize Exhibition VI, and in 2024, his work was selected for both the Contemporary Tea Ceramics Exhibition and the Bizen Biennale.
