Bizen Beer Mug

Bizen-yaki, a style of pottery from Okayama Prefecture, is a highly prized type of Japanese ceramic. Bizen-yaki pieces such as this beer mug, are characterized by their rustic, earthy appearance with unglazed surfaces and reddish-brown colours. The clay used in this style of pottery is fine but sticky with high iron and organic matter content, giving it a propensity to shrink during the firing process.

The markings on Bizen-yaki pieces are determined by multiple factors during the firing process such as oxygen levels, how flames move upward, and the amount of flying charcoal ash within the kiln. The variable nature of these factors means that even when the potter uses the same technique each piece will look different. In particular, Shibaoka Nobuyoshi is well known for his expertise in the sangiri technique, which creates the patterns and colours seen on these beer mugs using ash.