Item Description This is a Shigaraki-yaki mizusashi (water jar for the tea ceremony) by 澤清嗣 Sawa Kiyotsugu (b. 1948), a recognised Shigaraki potter working in the anagama and noborigama tradition. The jar has a full, rounded body rising to a short neck, fitted with a matching domed lid topped by a sculptural, knob-like handle. Three small lug-form projections encircle the shoulder, echoing the raw, gestural handling for which the artist is known. The unglazed stoneware body shows the dramatic surface effects produced by long wood firing: areas of deep charcoal-black ash deposit contrast with warm ochre and buff clay tones, while patches of natural green ash glaze have pooled near the rim and lid. The rough Shigaraki clay, embedded with visible feldspar and quartz particles, has been further worked with incised, comb-like scoring across the body, giving the surface strong tactile texture and movement. This piece is well suited to a serious collection of contemporary Japanese studio ceramics or for practical use in tea ceremony settings. Artist Profile Sawa Kiyotsugu was born in 1948 in Shigaraki-chō, Kōka City, Shiga Prefecture, into a family with a long history of operating a Shigaraki pottery kiln. He graduated from Shiga Prefectural Shigaraki High School in 1967 and, in 1968, completed training at the Kyoto Prefectural Ceramic Vocational Training Institute, spending two years working in Kyoto. In 1969 he returned to Shigaraki to study under master potter Takahashi Shunsai. In 1981 he established his independence, building both a noborigama (climbing kiln) and an anagama (cave kiln). In 2001, a work he submitted to the "Dai-Shigaraki-ten" (Grand Shigaraki Exhibition) was acquired by the Shiga Prefectural Ceramic Art Forest. Size Width: 18.8 cm Height: 16.0 cm (excluding lid) Condition The piece has been inspected and shows no chips, cracks, or repairs; it is in excellent, near-unused condition. Minor surface variation from the wood-firing process is inherent to the making process rather than damage. Additional Information Ware type: Shigaraki-yaki (Shigaraki ware), Shiga Prefecture, Japan Artist: Sawa Kiyotsugu (澤清嗣) Accessories: no original signed box (tomobako) or other accessories are included Authenticity: guaranteed genuine work by the artist NOITICE: The lot will be carefully packaged and sent by Japan Post, DHL or FedEx depend on the situation. It takes about 3 weeks to receive normally. Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Sometimes Customes or delivery company in your country contact you for Customs clearance via phone or email. Please make sure that you could answer the phone. If you don't, the parcel will return to me and it cost more double shipping fee for reshipping. I appreciate your cooperation.