Shino sake flask

Living as a recluse in rural Japan, Kumano Kurōemon is nicknamed the Bear of Echizen for both his visual appearance and the energetic, strong ceramics he creates. Echizen (today’s Fukui Prefecture) is an ancient pottery center known for its high-fired stoneware, a tradition that Kumano continues but at the same time moves into a new direction through producing surprisingly large works with fantastic encrustations of glaze.