Platinum-Glazed Sake Cup: Hagakure

This is a platinum-glazed sake cup, "Hagakure," by Toru Ichikawa, who made a striking debut after studying under Ryuichi Kakurezaki. While one is immediately drawn to the avant-garde design brimming with originality, holding it in your hands reveals the immense passion poured into expressing the beauty of clay as a material. Achieving these beautiful curves and edges requires a profound understanding of the clay's properties, followed by a daunting amount of time and meticulous effort; it is a piece born from relentlessly forging the earth, much like a master swordsmith. This process creates raw, fierce cracks and textures on the vessel's surface that human hands could never intentionally replicate, producing a brilliant harmony with the volume and hues of glazes custom-formulated for each clay type. Titled "Hagakure" (Hidden by Leaves), this piece is adorned with platinum glaze that possesses a liquid-metal volume, accented by a single streak of blood-red glaze, evoking a world where stillness and motion switch with the precision of a sword fight. Signed wooden box to follow (please allow some time for shipping).
Diameter 6.6cm x Diameter 6.3cm x Height 7.8cm Toru Ichikawa was born in Tokyo. He began his apprenticeship under Ryuichi Kakurezaki in June 2011 and established his own studio in Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture, in January 2015.