R432 Shuten Black

This is the new R432 sake cup in black by Toru Ichikawa, who made a striking debut after training 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, alongside an astonishing amount of time and meticulous labor; these works are born from a process of single-mindedly forging the clay, much like a swordsmith. As the latest addition to the R432 series, inspired by lusterware, the piece features a body of carbonized silver that resembles tamahagane steel, finished with a mysterious black glaze reminiscent of the dark cosmos. The rugged, rock-like texture around the waist emits a dull glow due to the carbonized silver, making it a work where even the clay body itself—not just the glaze—is beautiful.

See the blog post for Toru Ichikawa's new works Includes signed wooden box (shiho-san)
Diameter 5.7cm × Diameter 5.3cm × Height 6.6cm Toru Ichikawa was born in Tokyo. He began studying under Ryuichi Kakurezaki in June 2011 and established his own studio in Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture, in January 2015.