Sake cup (guinomi) c. early 21th century

Here is a Sake cup or guinomi by Hori Ichirō made with clay, somewhere, sometime. When I look at this cup, I see the artist wrestling with the clay, trying to tame it, but also letting it have its way. I imagine Ichirō coaxing the material, pinching and pulling, maybe even stabbing at it a little, to create this form. The glaze is thick in places, pooling in those crevices like heavy cream, while other spots are left bare, revealing the reddish-brown of the clay beneath. It's all about the texture. You want to run your fingers over the surface to feel all those bumps and ridges. It’s rough, almost like tree bark, but also kind of beautiful in its imperfection. I love how the rim isn't perfectly round, but slightly irregular, as if the artist didn't want to smooth it out too much. The process becomes the point, an ongoing experiment where accidents are welcome. It’s about embracing the unexpected and finding beauty in the raw, unrefined qualities of the earth.