This striking mug is thrown from a fine, matte black clay into a beautiful tulip shape, with a small foot and subtly indented and flaring lip. The cup is decorated using Ikeshita Naoki's signature style of Tanshō Zōgan (淡粧象嵌 - tasteful inlay) in which he hand-carves intricate patterns and fills them with a thin layer of coloured slip. In contrast to traditional inlay which entirely fills the carved out area with slip or clay, this light layer preserves the texture and dimensionality of the carving while also allowing for subtle colour variations to emerge.
The inside of the cup is skillfully glazed in white to showcase the true colour of the tea.
