This compact kurinuki cup rests on three individually carved feet beneath an irregular, faceted body. White Hagi glaze opens into blush-pink and smoke-grey passages, while exposed clay gives the base a warmer, earthier register. The uneven rim preserves the vessel's hand-shaped character.

Kaneta Masanao is an eighth-generation Hagi ceramist whose training in sculpture led him away from wheel-thrown symmetry. He named his kurinuki method in 1989: a dense block of clay is shaped from the outside and carved open from within. In this smaller format, the method remains fully sculptural while staying close to the hand.

The three-footed base gives the compressed body a sense of lift. One face is quiet and pale; another carries a broad blush field crossed by darker seams. The cup therefore changes temperament as it turns, moving between softness, weight and a slightly animated stance.

We selected this work for the unusually clear relationship between glaze and structure. The pale front, warmer reverse and exposed clay feet form three distinct material zones without breaking the unity of the vessel. Its compact scale concentrates the energy of Kaneta Masanao’s carving rather than diminishing it.

The cup rewards being viewed from several sides. Its tripod stance is immediately recognisable, while the shifts between white, pink and grey emerge more slowly. It can be used as a vessel, but its changing profile also allows it to hold a convincing place as a small sculpture.