Shirotanka Shuten

This white carbonized sake cup is by Toru Ichikawa, who made a striking debut after studying under Ryuichi Kakurezaki. While one is immediately drawn to its highly original, avant-garde design, holding it in your hands reveals the immense passion poured into expressing the beauty of the clay itself. Creating these beautiful curves and edges requires a profound understanding of the clay's properties, coupled with a staggering amount of time and meticulous effort; this piece was born from tempering the clay with the singular focus of a swordsmith. This process gives rise to rough, ferocious cracks and textures on the vessel's surface that human hands alone could not replicate, achieving a magnificent harmony with the color and volume of the glaze, which is specially formulated to suit each type of clay. For this piece, the carbonized white glaze transforms the body into a metallic gray, complemented by a sophisticated, brownish-tinted white glaze that brings out the best in both. Signed wooden box to be provided later (please allow some time for shipment).
Diameter 5.7cm × Diameter 5.3cm × Height 7.3cm 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.