Gold-Leaf Glass "Kagutsuchi"

This is the new "Kagutsuchi" gold-leaf glass by Toru Ichikawa, who made a stunning debut after studying under Ryuichi Kakurezaki. It is an exceptionally creative work that exemplifies Mr. Ichikawa's style of giving form to his endless stream of ideas through the supreme medium of clay. This new "Kagutsuchi" glass series is a bold, modern work inspired by the Japanese mythology of Kagutsuchi, the god of fire. Evoking the myth of the fire god, who was born burning his mother, the goddess Izanami, the piece features an intensely crackled *kairagi* glaze, pushed to the extreme limit of its shrinkage as if it were being burned through. As Kagutsuchi is also worshipped as the god of the forge, I feel that this piece embodies Mr. Ichikawa's pride in the act of creating objects through the fire of ceramics. In this work, the intense shrinkage causes the white glaze to form grain-like structures, creating a mysterious, frost-covered appearance, further refined by the inclusion of golden particles for a dreamlike quality. Signed wooden box (shiho-san) included.
Diameter 7.5cm × Diameter 7.3cm × Height 10.9cm 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.