This Kuro Guinomi is part of a group of thirty black sake cups by Shiro Tsujimura that together offer an extended study of repetition and variation within the artist’s ceramic practice. Working within the modest scale and familiar form of the guinomi, Tsujimura produces no two vessels exactly alike. Subtle shifts in proportion, irregular rims, textured surfaces, exposed clay, and variations in the depth and luster of the black glaze distinguish each cup. Viewed together, these differences become particularly pronounced, revealing the effects of forming, glazing, and firing across a shared vocabulary of material and form.
Tsujimura is known for working freely across established Japanese ceramic traditions, including Oribe, Shino, and Iga, while retaining an unmistakably individual approach. The thirty kuro guinomi similarly transform a repeated vessel type into an exploration of individuality, material variation, and the unpredictability of the ceramic process.
