Vase - Ceramic - Japan - Bizen Hidasuki Twin-Eared

Item Description
Bizen Ware Hidasuki Twin-Eared Flower Vase - Signed "Riki" (力) - Japanese Stoneware

A striking Bizen ware (備前焼) flower vase from Okayama Prefecture, executed in the celebrated "hidasuki" (緋襷 / scarlet cord) firing tradition, with two small lug handles at the shoulder and bearing the incised signature "力" (Riki / Chikara) on the base.

Bizen is one of the legendary "Six Ancient Kilns of Japan" (Nihon Rokkoyō), with over 1,000 years of continuous ceramic production - a heritage recognized as one of the most important in world ceramic history.
This vase exhibits the highly sophisticated, architecturally complex form that characterizes the work of skilled Bizen masters:
A tall, gently tapered cylindrical body rises from a flat circular foot, with a clear horizontal ridge marking the transition from the lower section to the upper shoulder.
The neck rises elegantly to a flaring, slightly trumpet-shaped mouth - a classical Bizen profile.
Two small triangular lug handles (so-called "ears" / 双耳 / sōji) project from the shoulder on either side of the neck, providing both visual rhythm and a subtle reference to ancient Chinese ritual bronze vessels and Korean Goryeo dynasty stoneware.
The most remarkable feature, however, is the surface decoration:
Vivid scarlet streaks run vertically across the pale grayish-beige unglazed body, creating the "hidasuki" pattern that gives the technique its name - which literally means "scarlet sash" or "scarlet cord," referring to the resemblance to the sashes worn by Shinto priestesses.
These markings are not painted or applied - they are created in the kiln itself, when rice straw is wrapped around the raw clay vessel before firing.
During the long, intense firing in a wood-burning anagama (cave kiln) or noborigama (climbing kiln), the iron and alkali content of the straw react with the iron-rich Bizen clay, leaving these characteristic flame-like scarlet imprints exactly where the straw touched the surface.
Each piece is therefore unique and unrepeatable - no two Bizen hidasuki works can ever be identical.
The side of the body bears a deliberate sculptural detail: a relief line resembling a draped cord or hanging sash, which integrates beautifully with the hidasuki firing marks running over it.
Bizen ware uses NO glaze - the entire color, texture, and surface effect comes from the iron-rich local clay (hiyose) and the wood ash, flame, and atmospheric variations within the kiln during the days-long firing.
This direct, unmediated dialogue between clay and fire is what makes Bizen one of the most highly regarded ceramic traditions in Japan and a favorite of tea masters since the 16th century.
The base bears the artist's incised signature "力" (Riki / Chikara), the artist's chosen pen-name or pottery mark.
A wonderfully sculptural and atmospheric piece - equally beautiful as a single-stem flower vase for ikebana or as a sculptural object in its own right.

Size
Height: 23.0 cm
Body Diameter: 10.0 cm
Mouth Outer Diameter: 4.4 cm

Weight
820 g

Condition
Long-term stored, near-unused condition.
No chips, cracks, or restorations.
The natural surface irregularities, kiln marks, and slight asymmetries are intentional aesthetic features of Bizen ware, not defects.
The original box is not included.

Production Profile
Bizen Ware (備前焼) - Okayama Prefecture, Japan
Bizen ware is one of the most ancient and celebrated ceramic traditions of Japan, originating in the Inbe district of Bizen Province (present-day Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture).
It is one of the "Six Ancient Kilns of Japan" (Nihon Rokkoyō), together with Seto, Tokoname, Shigaraki, Tamba, and Echizen - and Bizen is the only one of the six that has continued production without interruption since the Heian period (12th century).
Bizen ware is fundamentally distinguished by its complete absence of glaze.
The dense, iron-rich Bizen clay - known as hiyose - is fired for days at high temperatures in traditional wood-burning kilns, where the interaction between flame, wood ash, oxygen levels, and the placement of each piece creates an infinite variety of natural surface effects.
The principal firing effects are:

Goma (胡麻 / "sesame"): natural ash glaze speckles
Sangiri (桟切): random multicolored patches from reduction firing
Hidasuki (緋襷 / "scarlet cord"): scarlet straw-mark patterns (as seen on this piece)
Botamochi (牡丹餅): light circular marks where pieces were stacked
Aobize (青備前): blue-gray reduction effects

Hidasuki is among the most sought-after of these effects, produced by carefully wrapping rice straw around the unfired clay - a technique that has been refined over centuries and requires expert kiln management.
Bizen ware has been highly prized in the Japanese tea ceremony since the Momoyama period (16th century), valued for its rustic dignity, perfect harmony with the wabi-sabi aesthetic, and the way each piece records the unique conditions of its firing.
It was designated a Traditional Craft of Japan in 1982, and has produced multiple Living National Treasures including Toyo Kaneshige, Kei Fujiwara, Yū Fujiwara, Tōshū Yamamoto, and Jun Isezaki.

NOTICE:
The photos may show flowers, plants, pedestals, etc. as examples of decorations and interior design for illustrative purposes, but please note that these are not included in the product.

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