24K Gold Kintsugi Ko-Imari Sake Cup | Clouds Above the Vines
The Unbroken Vine Ko-Imari porcelain carried Japan's name across the seas during the golden age of export ware. The surface of this cup is entirely covered in takokarakusa, an octopus arabesque of scrolling vines in sometsuke cobalt. This pattern has long signified prosperity, longevity, and the continuation of good ties due to its unbroken growth. Wind Set in Lacquer Fine gold lines climb from the foot to the rim, threading the blue scrolls. At the lip, two cloud forms gather in raised lacquer. Rio Hashimoto, a Master of Lacquer Arts from Kyoto City University of Arts, restored the cup with natural urushi and 24K gold over four months, finishing it with roiro, the highest level of urushi polishing. She then shaped windborne clouds in takamaki-e relief with kawari-nuri textures and blue urushi, transforming the kiln scars the vessel had acquired during its first firing. Met at the Lip The decorative clouds reveal themselves most fully when in use. Set at the inner rim, they come into view when the cup is raised. Beneath their blush and blue-green surface lie the kiln marks that they were made to transform. Collecting it is taking part in the continuation of two traditions: the Ko-Imari export porcelain tradition, which is revived here, and the culture of authentic kintsugi art, which is elevated with takamaki-e and kawari-nuri.