Guinomi Made of Tanba Ware by Masafumi Onishi with Ash Glaze
Sold – no longer available
This piece was handmade by Onishi Masafumi and was a one-of-a-kind work. It cannot be reordered and will never exist in this form again. The page stays online as part of our archive.
You might like these pieces
Details about the sold piece
- Height 6 cm
- Width 6.5 cm
- Weight 1 g
- Color Beige, Brown
- Item Type Guinomi
- Material Ceramics
- Period of Creation Shôwa (1926–1989)
- Style / Tradition Tamba-yaki
- Unique Work Yes
- Wooden Box Yes
No longer available
Description
This small sake cup appears rough and primal at first glance, its surface marked by ash melts, fire marks, and natural color gradations in rust, moss green, and anthracite. It is precisely this unpredictable variety that constitutes the appeal of Tanba-yaki, one of the six old ceramic traditions of Japan, in which only the flame and the ash flying within the kiln determine the final appearance. The guinomi bears the signature of Masafumi Onishi and is deliberately shaped in a rough and irregular manner to emphasize the raw, archaic character of the material.
The slightly wavy, flaring rim and the scarred wall are reminiscent of weathered stone and invite one to explore the piece with one's hands. No two sake cups from this firing are alike, making each piece a genuine unique work.
Delivered in a wooden box signed by the master potter, this guinomi from the Shōwa period combines archaic beauty with the functionality of a traditional drinking vessel for sake, and is an impressive example of Japanese natural glaze artistry.
