Ayukai Kōgetsu (鮎貝晄月), Japanese (b. 1939)

An Ariso Sake Cup (荒磯盃)

Heisei Era (1989–2019)

About the work

An expressive example of Ayukai Kōgetsu’s Ariso sake vessels, combining a compact, irregular form with richly contrasting glaze colours. Pale blue-green passages mingle with dark brown and reddish tones, creating a varied surface both inside and outside the cup.

The cup has rounded sides and a gently uneven mouth, with subtle changes in contour that give it a tactile, handmade character. Its small foot and softly modelled body lend the piece an intimate scale, encouraging appreciation through handling as well as display.

On the exterior, pale glaze descends in irregular trails over darker brown and reddish areas. Changes in thickness create glossy pools and textured transitions, while the interior shows a similarly expressive combination of greenish-grey and deep brown. The contrast between the lighter glaze and dark underlying passages gives the cup considerable visual depth.

The piece is accompanied by an inscribed wooden box, a wrapping cloth and an artist biography leaflet. 

Dimensions

4.8cm(h) x 7cm(w) x 7.2cm(d)

Footnote

Ayukai Kōgetsu (鮎貝晄月), whose given name is Mitsuko (光子), is a Japanese ceramic artist and calligrapher from Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture. After graduating from Chūō University, she studied calligraphy under Ono Senshū and participated in several calligraphy exhibitions. In 1976, she encountered the Oni-Shino potter Tsukigata Nahiko, subsequently studying ceramics, painting and sculpture at his workshop between 1979 and 1987. Her accompanying biography records that she established a kiln in Gifu Prefecture in 1985 and adopted the studio name Kaichōkyo (海潮居). That year, she held a solo exhibition at Marumitsu Department Store in Kesennuma, followed by exhibitions at department stores elsewhere. Her practice encompasses both the expressive surfaces of Ariso ceramics and the brushwork of calligraphy.