{"product_id":"japanese-sometsuke-sakura-guinomi-sake-cup-nishikawa","title":"KIYOMIZU WARE SAKE CUP BY KURAMOTO TAKASHI | SOMETSUKE SAKURAZUME 染付桜詰 | NISHIKAWA","description":"\u003cp dir=\"auto\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCountless cherry blossoms, each painted by hand.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eCreated by Kyoto ceramic artist \u003cstrong\u003eKuramoto Takashi\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSometsuke Sakurazume\u003c\/em\u003e transforms the simplicity of blue and white porcelain into an extraordinary field of cherry blossom — intricate, individual and unmistakably handmade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"auto\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eDescription\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eFrom a distance, \u003cstrong\u003eSometsuke Sakurazume (染付桜詰)\u003c\/strong\u003e appears almost abstract — a dense field of deep blue flowing across white porcelain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eCome closer, and the pattern begins to reveal itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eWhat first appears to be texture is in fact an extraordinary multitude of \u003cstrong\u003echerry blossoms, individually painted by hand\u003c\/strong\u003e. Petal follows petal across the curved surface until almost no space is left undecorated. The pattern continues beyond the exterior, filling the inside of the cup and even extending into the recessed area beneath its foot. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe technique is \u003cstrong\u003esometsuke (染付)\u003c\/strong\u003e, Japan’s distinctive tradition of blue-and-white porcelain decoration. Yet here, its familiar blue and white palette is pushed towards extraordinary complexity through \u003cstrong\u003esakurazume (桜詰)\u003c\/strong\u003e — literally a composition densely filled with cherry blossoms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThere is no mechanical repetition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003ePlace two cups side by side and subtle differences immediately emerge. One blossom opens slightly wider; another carries a heavier blue line. The spacing shifts, the concentration of pigment changes, and individual petals take on their own character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe same pattern, never exactly the same.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThese variations are not imperfections. They are traces of the hand that made the piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"auto\"\u003eThe Artisan — Kuramoto Takashi\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThis cup is the work of Kyoto ceramic artist \u003cstrong\u003eKuramoto Takashi (倉元貴史)\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eBorn in 1968 as the second son of \u003cstrong\u003eKuramoto Kōhō II (二代倉元光抱)\u003c\/strong\u003e, Takashi trained formally in ceramics at the Kyoto Prefectural Pottery Training School, completing both its forming and advanced courses, before continuing his ceramic studies at the Kyoto Municipal Industrial Research Institute. In 1987, he entered the tutelage of his father, the second-generation Kōhō, and later received instruction from \u003cstrong\u003eMiura Chikken II (二代三浦竹軒)\u003c\/strong\u003e. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eHis work therefore belongs to a living lineage of Kyoto ceramics rather than simply borrowing its visual language.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eKuramoto describes his practice as preserving techniques inherited from the first-generation Kōhō while pursuing a contemporary sensibility within traditional craftsmanship. \u003cspan class=\"contents\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSometsuke Sakurazume\u003c\/em\u003e expresses that philosophy beautifully.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eIts subject could hardly be more traditional — \u003cstrong\u003esakura\u003c\/strong\u003e, one of Japan’s most enduring natural motifs — and its blue-and-white palette belongs to a centuries-old ceramic language. Yet the extraordinary density of the composition gives the piece an almost contemporary visual rhythm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eThousands of tiny gestures become a single surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eA sake cup from afar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eA field of cherry blossom up close.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003eAnd in every slight difference between one piece and the next, the presence of the artisan remains visible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"auto\" class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eSummary\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"auto\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn exceptional work of Kiyomizu ware by Kyoto artist Kuramoto Takashi, where countless individually hand-painted cherry blossoms transform traditional sometsuke blue and white into a remarkable expression of patience, precision and living craftsmanship.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePRODUCT DETAILS\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBrand: Nishikawa\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e 染付桜詰\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRomanised Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sometsuke Sakurazume\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArtist:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eKuramoto Takashi (倉元貴史)\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProduct:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sake Cup \/ Guinomi\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWare:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kyo Ware \/ Kiyomizu Ware\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Kyoto, Japan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTechnique:\u003c\/strong\u003e Sometsuke (染付) blue-and-white decoration\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMotif:\u003c\/strong\u003e Densely painted cherry blossom \/ Sakura\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDecoration:\u003c\/strong\u003e Individually hand-painted\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e Porcelain\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMade in Japan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHandcrafted:\u003c\/strong\u003e Each piece is individually made and painted; variations in form, colour, linework and pattern placement are part of its character.\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eEach piece is handcrafted, with slight variations in form and texture. Subtle glaze variations are a natural characteristic of the making process and add to the unique expression of each piece.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShipping\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShipped directly from the UK warehouse. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NISHIKAWA","offers":[{"title":"Single Cup","offer_id":57462705553783,"sku":null,"price":158.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Pair - 2 cups","offer_id":57462705586551,"sku":null,"price":288.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Pair - SAKURAZUME Cups","offer_id":57471113101687,"sku":null,"price":288.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"SOMETSUKE Pair","offer_id":57471194595703,"sku":null,"price":238.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0985\/0241\/0615\/files\/SOMETSUKE_SAKURAZUME.jpg?v=1789645768","url":"https:\/\/kumohana.com\/products\/japanese-sometsuke-sakura-guinomi-sake-cup-nishikawa","provider":"KUMOHANA 雲花","version":"1.0","type":"link"}