Tadanoumi-yu (Ash Glaze) Soup Cup

A Sculptor Who Speaks to Clay

Some objects carry a story before they are ever touched. This soup cup was born at the meeting of two worlds: sculpture, studied for a decade at the Tokyo University of the Arts, and ceramics, the inherited craft of a three-generation family of potters. Makimasa Imai does not merely shape clay — he inscribes thought, memory, and intention into it.

The Memory of Flames and Ash — and the Quiet Gleam of Gold

This cup was fired in a noborigama — an ancient, living climbing kiln set in the town of Takehara, Hiroshima. The clay is of that land. The flame, sovereign and unpredictable, decided alone the color, the depth, the shifting nuances of the ash glaze (tadanoumi-yu). No one could foresee what the fire would reveal.

Across the surface, fine incised lines — the mark of a sculptor's hand — tell quietly of the care that shaped this piece. And on the handles, an accent of gold. Not ornament for ornament's sake, but a dialogue: between the humble roughness of wood-fired earth and the warm golden light that graces it with understated elegance. That contrast — raw and refined, unassuming and precious — is the soul of this piece.

Three Landscapes Born of the Same Fire — Choose Yours

A, B, and C. Three cups from the same kiln firing, shaped by the same hands, built from the same form. And yet no two are alike.

The fire breathed differently across each one. Here, the ash fell more generously; there, the incised lines catch the light at a different angle; elsewhere, the glaze pooled into a darker, deeper veil. They are three born of the same moment — and each wears its own face.

Which one is waiting for you? They are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Let yourself be guided — not by reason, but by what your eye chooses before your mind has time to decide. Perhaps this cup was already yours.

The Art of Living, One Morning at a Time

Picture it: a quiet morning. Warm soup poured gently into this cup. Both hands wrapped around it, heat rising through the clay, incised lines felt under your fingertips. That moment — simple, still, complete — is what the Japanese call yō no bi: beauty through use, beauty born of daily life lived with intention.

This cup is not meant to be admired from a distance. It is made to be held, used, and loved, day after day.

Specifications