Crimson Botanicals on a Kyoto Tokkuri
This gracefully rounded sake flask was shaped in Kyoto’s ceramic tradition, its surface painted with delicate botanicals in deep crimson. The tokkuri form is designed specifically for the ritual of pouring and sharing sake—its narrow neck controls the pour, its body retains warmth.
Born of Kyoto’s Heritage: This piece too is authentic Kyo-yaki pottery, handcrafted using time-honored techniques and refined by centuries of Japanese artistry.
Learn more → The Art and Technique of Kyoto Ware
Maki-e Water Drops in Gold
Rio Hashimoto's graduate research at Kyoto City University of Arts (est. 1880) spanned the full urushi discipline, from woodworking to final gold application. Her practice sits at the intersection of traditional lacquer craft and conceptual art — recognized with multiple awards including the International TAKIFUJI Art Award. On this tokkuri, she went beyond standard kintsugi. Each chip is cradled in vermilion urushi, then adorned with maki-e water drop motifs in 24K gold, the surface polished and burnished with agate to a food-safe finish, rooted in the same body of knowledge that sustains Japan's most valued lacquer heritage.
Where Mending Becomes Art
In most kintsugi, the work ends once the fracture is sealed. Japan's lacquer tradition tells a different story — one in which the restored surface becomes a canvas. On this tokkuri, vermilion lacquer spills from the restored rim and cascades down the pale ceramic body. Where each drop comes to rest, gold emerges from beneath — as though the act of mending released something precious hidden within. These maki-e additions are not restoration but pure artistic expression, and pieces where kintsugi opens the door to this kind of gesture are exceptionally rare.
