R432 Shuten Black

This is the new R432 sake cup in black by Toru Ichikawa, who made a brilliant debut after studying under Ryuichi Kakurezaki. While the avant-garde design, brimming with originality, catches the eye, 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, alongside an astonishing amount of time and meticulous labor; these works are born from the artist forging the clay with single-minded focus, much like a swordsmith. As the latest addition to the R432 series, inspired by lusterware, it features a body that has taken on the appearance of tamahagane steel through silver carbonization, coated in a mysterious black glaze reminiscent of the dark universe. The rugged, rock-like texture around the base emits a dull gleam due to the effects of the silver carbonization, making it a work where not only the glaze but the very clay body itself is beautiful.

See the blog post for Toru Ichikawa's new work Includes signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 6.5cm × Diameter 5.6cm × Height 6.0cm 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.