Vermilion clay bowl with painted decoration

This is a new *shudei-sai* (red clay polychrome) small bowl by Toru Ichikawa, who made a striking debut after studying under Ryuichi Kakurezaki. While the avant-garde design, brimming with originality, immediately catches the eye, holding it in your hands reveals the immense passion poured into expressing the beauty of the clay itself. To achieve such beautiful curves and edges, the artist must understand the nature of the clay and spend an exhaustive amount of time and effort on the finishing process; this work was born from a process of single-mindedly forging the clay, much like a master swordsmith. The *gosu* (cobalt pigment) vibrant against the red and white tones expresses "motion," while the white glaze finish evokes the "stillness" of snow settling over the piece. The contrast between the hexagonal body and the base, carved to appear as if it is rotating and converging, is striking. (There is a small glaze flake on the corner seen in photo 1; please be aware that this does not affect its use.) Signed wooden box (*shiho-san* style)
Diameter 10.1cm x Diameter 9.6cm x Height 8.3cm 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.