Gold-leaf Sake Cup "Kagutsuchi" Black

This is a newly kiln-fired sake cup titled "Kagutsuchi - Teru" (Radiance), a creation by Toru Ichikawa, who made a striking debut after studying under Ryuichi Kakurezaki. For this piece, Ichikawa has further evolved the intense *kairagi* (crackle glaze) seen in his "Kagutsuchi" series, named after the Shinto god of fire, Kagutsuchi-no-Kami. The work expresses an incredibly delicate worldview by combining the fine-grained glaze known as "Kagutsuchi Teru" with a smooth, voluminous glaze in a patchwork-like composition. A departure from the profound world of fire seen in the earlier Kagutsuchi series, this piece takes on a more avant-garde and artistic expression. The black glaze, bubbling and seething just like his "black salamander" works, has a sensuality that transcends ceramics, appearing almost like high-quality lizard leather. This is joined by gold accents that resemble molten ingots, resulting in a fusion of leatherwork and goldsmithing that could only be expressed through ceramics. Signed wooden box to follow (please allow some time for shipping).
Diameter 7.4cm × Diameter 6.5cm × Height 6.3cm 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.