A Tokoname ash glaze guinomi (灰釉ぐい呑み) by Tanikawa Jin — where the ancient dialogue between fire and earth resolves into a single sake cup. This handmade guinomi carries a thick olive green ash glaze pooling over warm reddish-brown Tokoname clay, the contrast between glossy and matte surfaces creating quiet visual tension. A Japanese sake cup rooted in one of Japan's oldest ceramic traditions.
The ash glaze — born from wood ash and feldspar — pools thickly at the rim, flowing downward to mid-body before stopping. Where it ends, the exposed Tokoname clay begins: warm, iron-rich, matte. This boundary is not a line but a territory — a gradual transition where glaze thins to amber before yielding to bare clay. The entire history of ash glazing lives in this margin.
The form flares gently outward from a small foot, the organic rim slightly irregular — shaped by hand, not corrected. In the palm, the weight sits low. The glossy interior pools sake into a green-tinged mirror. The unglazed exterior below offers warmth and grip.
Tanikawa Jin (谷川仁) works from Tokoname, one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns — a lineage stretching back nearly a thousand years. His authorship is confirmed by the tomobako bearing "灰釉 ぐい呑" with signature "仁" and red seal.
A piece of continuity — connecting the hand that holds it to centuries of ceramic presence.
🔹 [ CONDITION ] • Unused, beautiful condition • Glossy glaze fully intact • Note: Retirement commemoration name inscribed on box lid underside
🔹 [ DIMENSIONS ] • Diameter: ~6.5 cm (2.6 in) • Height: ~4.2 cm (1.7 in)
🔹 [ SHIPPING & PACKAGING ] • Dispatch: Within 1-6 business days • Carrier: Japan Post EMS / UPS (with tracking) • Packaging: Carefully wrapped with protective materials
