These coffee mugs are by Ibaraki based ceramicist Giran Sagawa.

Part of a new generation of potters working in the Kasama region, Sagawa specialises in slipware and tightly drawn geometric shapes.

The smaller version of his mug design, have a two-tone application of glaze, with a tightly drawn diagonal line.

The thumb rests easily on the top of the handle, which is connected in its lower section with a swipe.

The mugs are tagged with the maker’s mark on the base.

Each is handmade, and therefore has small variations.

Size: height 7.5cm, diameter 7cm, handle 7cm.

About Giran Sagawa

One of the emerging generation of potters in the Kasama region, Giran Sagawa focuses his work on slipware. A style with history in the UK, Sagawa is part of a contemporary revival movement for slipware pottery in Japan. In this work he applies a careful geometry, and at times graffiti like influences. The outcome are ceramics which are thought-out and satisfying to use. He also makes a popular series of mugs, stable in their construction, and well-fitting to the hand. These are often patterned with striped blocks of colour which accords with a another recent trend in Japanese ceramics. Sagawa calls these earth colours, reflecting the controlled appearance of nature within his work.