{"product_id":"elegant-flower-vase-ー市川-透-花器-悦","title":"Elegant Flower Vase ー市川 透 “花器 悦”","description":"\u003cp\u003eGraceful yet quietly experimental, this vase by Ichikawa Tōru reveals the artist’s sensitivity to surface and transformation in a more restrained register than his often outlandish vessels. Titled Kaki Etsu (“Flower Vessel: Joy”) and enclosed in the original signed wooden box, the form rises with a slender neck from a gently swelling body, its silhouette recalling the elegant proportions of classical Japanese flower vessels. Across the upper half, a thick white glaze has contracted during firing into a network of large, irregular crackles that resemble a field of drying earth or clustered porcelain scales. The glaze gathers and breaks along the surface, exposing warm clay beneath and creating a tactile topography of softly raised forms. In contrast, the lower portion of the vessel remains darker and smoother, its subdued gray-brown tone providing a calm visual counterweight to the textured white above. Scattered across this surface are small, molten passages of metallic luster—gold and silver-like pools that appear to have emerged from the glaze during firing. These metallic accents glint subtly against the matte crackle, like mineral inclusions caught within stone. Occasional drips of glaze cascade downward, preserving the moment of fluid movement before the kiln’s heat fixed it in place. The rim is lightly edged with gold, a quiet but deliberate gesture that frames the mouth of the vessel and emphasizes its intended role as a flower container. Measuring approximately 12 cm (4-3\/4 inches) diameter and 21.8 cm (8-1\/2 inches) tall, the work balances refinement with spontaneity, demonstrating Ichikawa’s ability to allow the kiln’s unpredictable chemistry to participate in the final composition while maintaining an elegant and controlled overall form.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIchikawa Toru was born in Tokyo in 1973. In 2015 he established his current studio in Bizen after 4 years of apprenticeship under another Bizen Outsider, Kakurezaki Ryuichi. He has since developed quite a following, with his shows selling out often within hours.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ichikawa Toru","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50646729326839,"sku":"MC1563","price":158800.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0658\/7472\/3063\/files\/2026-01-1216.05.03.jpg?v=1774839801","url":"https:\/\/kuramonzen.com\/ja\/products\/elegant-flower-vase-%e3%83%bc%e5%b8%82%e5%b7%9d-%e9%80%8f-%e8%8a%b1%e5%99%a8-%e6%82%a6","provider":"Kura Monzen Gallery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}