Hakutanka Shuten

This is a white carbonized sake cup by Toru Ichikawa, who studied under Ryuichi Kakurezaki and made a sensational debut. While one is immediately struck by his highly original, avant-garde design, holding it in your hands reveals the immense passion he pours into expressing the beauty of the clay itself. Creating these beautiful curves and edges requires a profound understanding of the clay's properties, alongside an exhaustive amount of time and meticulous effort; it is a piece born from forging the earth with the singular focus of a swordsmith. This process gives rise to rough, fierce cracks and textures on the surface of the vessel that human hands could never replicate, creating a magnificent harmony with the volume and hues of glazes specially formulated for each clay body. In this work, the carbonized white glaze transforms the body into a metallic gray, while the choice of a subdued, brownish white glaze serves to balance and enhance the piece as a whole. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included
Diameter 5.3cm x Diameter 5.2cm x Height 7.5cm 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.