Bizen is a type of Japanese pottery that dates to the Heian period in the 6th century. Shunichi Yabe (born 1968) is a contemporary master of Bizen craft. The grandson of the Toshu Yamamoto (1906-1994), a Living National Treasure of Bizen, he continues the Bizen pottery tradition by creating vessels such as this with a distinctly geometric abstract style that reminds of modern Western sculptures.