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Copper Katakuchi (Pouring Vessel) / vol: 270ml

Taiki Sugishima originally created these new sake pitchers (katakuchi) and cups (choko) for a commission by Kanaukan, a hot spring inn nestled at the foot of the mountains in the Utsukushigahara Highlands in Nagano.

Each vessel is sculpted from a single sheet of copper, used the technique Shibori or "raising" a process that allows the shaping of hollow forms from a flat sheet of metal by repeated hammering.

The hammering results in natural wrinkles around the mouth of the pitcher and cups a unique feature of handmade work. These wrinkles, which are typically smoothed out or removed, have been intentionally left by the artist as a symbol of the beauty of handmade craftsmanship. The interiors are lined with tin.

*The color will gradually change with handling. *As the vessels are made of copper, they conduct heat directly to the hand. Please use it only for cold liquids to avoid burns."

*Each cup and pitcher is sold individually.

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Taiki Sugishima
Taiki Sugishima is skilled in using the natural properties of metal to produce vessels with both beautiful, distinctive forms and expressive textures and surfaces. Sugishima who is skilled at both tankin (hammering) and forging techniques often shapes his vessels using the technique shibori, a process that allows the shaping of hollow forms from a flat sheet of metal by repeated hammering.

Sugishima completed the doctoral program in Sculpture at Hiroshima City University Graduate School of Arts in 2001. He later studied the traditional Japanese metalware craft of tankin as well as forging, with two craftsmen skilled in the respective techniques. Currently he produces a variety of work in different materials from cooking pots and utensils to objects, sculptural pieces, and custom work for architectural projects.