Gold and Platinum Sake Cup "Salamander"

This is a brand new sake cup, "Salamander," featuring gold and platinum glaze, fresh from the kiln by Toru Ichikawa, who studied under Ryuichi Kakinoki and made a striking debut. It is an exceptionally creative work, true to Ichikawa’s style of shaping his boundless ideas through the supreme medium of clay. This latest "Salamander" series further evolves the intense, boiling glaze textures of his "Kagutsuchi" series, reconfiguring gold leaf, platinum leaf, and crimson glaze into a tiled pattern. The title has shifted from the Japanese god of fire, "Kagutsuchi," to the fire spirit "Salamander," representing a more vivid and daring series. As a counterpart to the magma-like, simmering "Kagutsuchi" gold glaze, this piece centers on a flame-colored crimson glaze, with the intricate interplay of gold, platinum, and crimson creating a painterly world. The fine grains within the simmering gold glaze are randomly accented with platinum, a testament to Ichikawa’s exacting standards and meticulous attention to detail. Despite its large hexagonal form, each facet is expansive, allowing the glaze to manifest a rich variety of changes, providing ample opportunity to enjoy its complex and mysterious textures. (*There is a slight wobble, but it becomes stable when filled with sake.) Signed wooden box to be provided later (please allow some time for shipping).
Diameter 6.7cm x Diameter 6.5cm x Height 6.8cm Toru Ichikawa was born in Tokyo. He began his apprenticeship under Ryuichi Kakinoki in June 2011 and established his own studio in Tamano City, Okayama Prefecture, in January 2015.