NEW YORK, NY.- Until January 28, 2012, Ippodo Gallery NY will be exhibiting approximately 80 new works of sake-related vessels by all 20 artists, in fields of pottery, glass and lacquer, who are represented by Ippodo Gallery. We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to view these small treasures produced by a wide range of artists, to hold them in your hands and allow us to help you choose something special with which to celebrate the new year and the coming of spring.

 

In Japan there are many words that contain the term sake: asazake (morning sake), amazake (sweet, mild sake), iwaizake (celebratory sake), kanzake (warmed sake), nigorizake (unrefined sake), hanamizake (cherry blossom-viewing sake), yukimizake (snow-viewing sake), mukaezake (hair of the dog), masuzake (sake in a square wooden cup), etc.

 From this, it can be seen that Sake, which is brewed from rice, plays an important role in the lives of the Japanese people, it is drunk at ceremonies and festivals, weddings and celebrations, while in ancient times it was used as an offering before battle or on auspicious occasions. It offers people a fresh start and purifies their bodies; whenever there is an occasion for people to come together, sake is always present.

The vessels used for serving and drinking sake came in a huge variety of shapes and sizes: narrow-necked flasks, called tokuri, that are used to pour sake, lipped bowls, called katakuchi, for serving, tiny cups known as guinomi that allow the drinker to enjoy the sake a little at a time, and many others. From great masters to new young artists, all of Ippodo's artists have excelled themselves to produce works in their own particular styles that can be seen at the Ippodo Gallery.

 Participating Artists (in alphabetical order) Ken Akachi / Junsuke Asai / Ryusuke Asai / Goni Chon / Yasushi Fujihira / Tetsuya Ishiyama / Tsubusa Kato / Masato Kigasawa / Ryoji Koie / Masahiro Maeda /Toru Matsuzaki / Shigeyoshi Morioka / Yuriko Morioka / Katsunori Nakashima / Kohei Nakamura / Akio Niisato / Yoshio Nishihata / Kai Tsujimura / Shiro Tsujimura / Yui Tsujimura