Hiroshi Taruta Seto Porcelain Rocks Cup (Small)

Porcelain cup · Hotaru-te · Hiroshi Taruta · Seto

• 01 Linear Hotaru-te — a pale blue light glows through lines carved into white porcelain
• 02 A smaller version of Taruta's rocks cup, at 3.1 in (80 mm) across and 2.3 in (58 mm) high
• 03 Thrown and carved by hand in Seto, so each piece varies slightly in form

Linear Hotaru-te: pale blue light through carved white porcelain

Through lines incised into white porcelain, a soft, pale blue light shows through. This is Hotaru-te: the vessel is first thrown on the wheel, then carved through, and the openings are filled with transparent glaze before it is fired. Hotaru means "firefly" in Japanese; te means "hand." The technique originated in Ming dynasty China (1368–1644).

Named Hikari Matou — "clad in light" — this rocks cup brings Hotaru-te to a drink over ice. It is a smaller size than Taruta's rocks cup (Ø 3.3 in / 85 mm × H 3.0 in / 75 mm), for a shorter pour. For a cup for tea, see his Seto Porcelain Tea Cup.

Lines, not circles — a technique that allows no compromise

Hotaru-te is unforgiving. Carving through porcelain reduces its structural strength, so the risk of cracking is high and every stage of the process demands full attention. While most Hotaru-te works use small round openings, Taruta works with linear slits instead. This approach is considerably more difficult, but the light that emerges through them — like light breaking through cloud — is unlike anything the conventional form produces.

Pour whisky or any drink over ice, and the light shimmers along with the liquid inside. Each piece is handmade and varies slightly in form.

Hiroshi Taruta, a porcelain artist working in Seto

Hiroshi Taruta works from his studio in Seto, Aichi Prefecture — a city long celebrated for its pottery tradition, Seto-yaki. His choice to pursue linear Hotaru-te came from a desire to do what others do not. A turning point came in 2015, when he spent ten months in Europe. His work, sometimes described in Japan as having a European quality, was received in Europe as distinctly Japanese. The experience clarified his direction: to pursue Hotaru-te as an expression that could only come from him.

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Hiroshi Taruta

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Specifications

Artist: Hiroshi Taruta
Dimensions: Ø 3.1 in (80 mm) × H 2.3 in (58 mm)
Material: Porcelain
Technique: Wheel-thrown, linear Hotaru-te, carving
Styles: 4 (each piece is handmade and varies slightly)