Splashes of cobalt show through the thick white glaze covering this undulating cup by Murakoshi Takuma enclosed in the original signed wooden box title Genso 27 Shochunomi (Periodic Table number 27 Cup for Shochu). Shochu is a strong Japanese sake, usually made from wheat, rice or potatoes.Takuma rarely digs into his stash of cobalt due to the cost, and this is one of the olnly Genso 27 pieces he has created in the last year.It is 10.5 cm (4 inches) diameter, 12.5 cm (5 inches) tall and in excellent condition, directly from the artist this year.
Murakoshi Takuma is one of those enigmas who simply lives to work with clay. He does not seek to make a living through pottery, but through his primal approach has earned a following which keeps his work in high demand. He was born in Aichi prefecture in 1954 and began his stroll down the pottery path in 1980 under the tutelage of Kyoto potter Umehara Takehira. Favoring very rough Shigaraki glaze, he established his own kiln in 1997 in the Kiyomizu pottery district of Kyoto, then moved to Nagaoka in 2002. Although eschewing the world of competitive exhibitions, he has been picked up by many of Japan’s preeminent galleries, including private exhibitions at the prestigious Kuroda Toen of Tokyo’s Ginza District.
