Tokuda Yasokichi III (三代徳田八十吉), Japanese (1933–2009)

A Pair of Coloured-Glaze Sake Cups (ぐい呑)

Shōwa Era (1926–1989) or Heisei Era (1989–2019)

About the work

A luminous pair of coloured-glaze sake cups by Tokuda Yasokichi III, combining glossy plum and brown tones with pale blue-white accents around the rims. Their related palette and differing proportions create a harmonious set, with each cup retaining an individual profile.

Both vessels have rounded sides that flare gently towards the mouth, rising from small exposed porcelain feet. Fine circular forming lines introduce a subtle horizontal rhythm beneath the glaze. The pale bases provide a clear contrast with the richly coloured bodies.

Across the surfaces, the glaze shifts between deep plum, reddish-purple and darker brown. Cool, pale passages gather along the lips in softly flowing bands, framing the mouths and brightening the warmer colours below. Glossy interiors continue the palette, with reflections revealing further changes in tone.

The larger cup has a slightly taller, more expansive profile, while its companion offers a more compact interpretation of the same form. Accompanied by a single wooden box housing both cups.

Dimensions

Large: 4.6cm(h) x 6.9cm(w)

Small: 4.3cm(h) x 6.2cm(w)

Footnote

Tokuda Yasokichi III was born Masahiko in Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, in 1933. He studied under his grandfather, the first Tokuda Yasokichi, and his father, the second, acquiring a detailed understanding of Kutani glaze and enamel traditions. He developed a distinctive approach to coloured porcelain, using carefully graduated areas of colour in place of conventional pictorial decoration. His work received major awards at the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, and in 1997 he was designated a Living National Treasure for coloured-glaze porcelain. His practice brought a contemporary visual language to Kutani ceramics through luminous colour and controlled surface transitions. He died in 2009.