Ichikawa Toru 市川 透 Japanese, b. 1973
H10.9 x W11.5 x D11.5cm
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The colors of this tea bowl recall the light pink tone of cherry blossom petals set against a robin's egg blue spring sky...The beautiful heavy thick celadon glaze drips down this colorful teabowl, creating a playful feeling. One recalls "hanami", or flower gazing, in spring.
This Tokyo-born sculptor studied with one of Bizen’s luminaries and learned of its traditions. Ichikawa Toru (b. 1973) studied under Kakurezaki Ryuichi 隠崎隆一(1953- ). One can clearly can see the apprenticeship in his forms, which he takes forward with his daring interventions. A striking example of this is immense variety of glazes occupying the surfaces of Ichikawa’s tea bowls. He marries celadon glaze with Bizen clay, and uses natural color reactions to adorn his sake cups and bottles. The resulting forms take on colors usually seen on modern paintings- his character comes clearly through in his work: it excites, shocks, and offers a fresh perspective. Ichikawa presents us with a contemporary image that can be still be held and adored as a ceramic sculpture.