hikidashi guro guinomi

h 5,5cm

a small sake cup that challenges the imagination
by existing outside of the head.
it is made in the hikidashi guro technique,
which involves a special glaze and firing.
the glaze, applied rather thickly, contains a lot
of ochre, a type of iron ore.
when the firing has reached about 1200"C,
the piece is pulled from the kiln with tongs
and cools to room temperature within a few
minutes, a rather unusual and harsh treatment.
this causes the colour and surface of the glaze to
take on an appearance it would not show if it
had cooled down slowly.
despite the austere look it is surprisingly
pleasant to drink from