Annam Style Guinomi by Horino Shoji - Blue Crackle Glaze Sake Cup with Artist Pamphlet

Experience authentic Japanese ceramics with this Annam Style Guinomi by Horino Shoji. This Vietnamese-Inspired Sake Cup serves as a Mie Prefecture Ceramic Art and Crackle Glaze Masterwork, featuring Concentric Circle Pattern and Traditional Cobalt Drip Glaze—a must-have for any Art Collector seeking Annam-utsushi Heritage and Japanese Sake Accessories.

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🔹 [ BASIC DETAILS ]

• Artist: Horino Shoji (堀野証嗣)
• Technique: Annam-utsushi (安南写し) — Vietnamese-inspired cobalt on crackle glaze
• Era: Contemporary (Heisei–Reiwa period)
• Origin: Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, Japan
• Dimensions: Diameter approx. 6.5 cm, Height approx. 3.5 cm
• Box: Signed paulownia wood box with cord (共箱紐付)
• Accessories: Yellow cloth wrapper, artist biography pamphlet
• Condition: Excellent

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🔹 [ CULTURAL & ARTISTIC INSIGHT ]

Annam-utsushi occupies a unique position in Japanese ceramic history — it is the art of reinterpreting Vietnamese ceramics through Japanese aesthetic sensibility. When Annamese wares reached Japan through maritime trade in the 15th and 16th centuries, tea masters immediately recognized their unadorned beauty. Japanese potters began creating their own versions, not as copies but as homage — preserving the spirit while refining the technique.

Horino Shoji works from Yokkaichi in Mie Prefecture, a region with deep ceramic roots. His Annam-style pieces capture the essential character of the original tradition: the warm crackle glaze, the soft blue cobalt painting that bleeds slightly into the body, and the raised foot (kodai) that references Vietnamese cup forms. The concentric circles inside the cup create a meditative focal point when viewed from above.

*"Circles within circles — the same gesture repeated, each one slightly different, like waves reaching shore."*

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🔹 [ DEEP-DIVE COMMENTARY ]

**The Annam Tradition in Japan**: Vietnamese ceramics entered Japan primarily through Sakai, Hakata, and other port cities during the Muromachi period. Tea practitioners valued them for their artless quality — a counterpoint to the refined Chinese wares that dominated formal tea. This aesthetic preference sparked a tradition of Japanese reinterpretation that continues today, with artists like Horino keeping the dialogue alive.

**Horino Shoji's Practice**: Born in 1975 in Yokkaichi, Horino studied ceramic arts and exhibited at major juried exhibitions including the Asahi Ceramics Exhibition, Tokai Traditional Craft Exhibition, and Shimizu-yaki shows. His focus on Annam-style work represents a dedicated pursuit of a specific aesthetic tradition rather than broad experimentation — depth over breadth.

**Form and Glazing**: The elevated foot on this cup is distinctly Vietnamese in character — higher and more sculptural than typical Japanese guinomi forms. The blue glaze drips and pools around the foot, creating an effect that appears spontaneous but requires careful glaze application. The crackle (kannyu) in the base glaze adds age-like character to a contemporary piece.

**Complete Provenance**: The inclusion of the artist's biography pamphlet with photograph, along with the signed box and cloth wrapper, provides complete provenance documentation. This level of presentation reflects the Japanese tradition of treating even small drinking vessels as objects worthy of formal packaging and documentation.

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🔹 [ 日本語解説 ]

【基本情報】
• 作家：堀野証嗣
• 技法：安南写し（呉須同心円文）
• 時代：現代（平成〜令和）
• 産地：三重県四日市市
• 寸法：口径約6.5cm、高さ約3.5cm
• 付属：共箱（紐付）・共布・作家栞
• 状態：良好

【解説】
堀野証嗣による安南写しぐい呑。内側に同心円文を呉須で描き、高い高台と灰青色の釉垂れがベトナム陶器の特徴を的確に捉える。貫入の入ったクリーム色の地肌に、呉須が柔らかく滲む安南写し特有の味わい。朝日陶芸展、東海伝統工芸展等で活躍する作家の確かな技量が感じられる。

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🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ]
• Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days
• Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking)
• Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials

*Cobalt sinks into crackle glaze the way rain settles into dry earth — slowly, inevitably, becoming part of the surface.*