8cm diameter and 4.5cm height
There are sake cups, and then there are portals to contemplation. Kurokawa Daisuke's 'Ginga' guinomi belongs emphatically to the latter category—a miniature cosmos captured in Japanese art glass that transforms every pour into ceremony.
The name 'Ginga' means Galaxy in Japanese, and you'll understand why the moment you hold this piece to the light. Against a midnight-black ground, Kurokawa has suspended countless silver particles that shimmer like stars scattered across infinite space. The effect shifts dramatically depending on viewing angle: turn the cup, and constellations appear to move, creating that vertiginous sensation of gazing into deep space. This is glass working at its most poetic, using transparency and opacity to conjure something far beyond the physical material.
Kurokawa represents the vibrant contemporary Japanese art glass movement that emerged in the 1990s, when makers began applying studio craft principles to a medium previously dominated by industrial production. His work draws from the legacy of Venetian maestros while remaining distinctly Japanese in its restraint and philosophical underpinnings. The nerikomi-style colour integration—where pigments are pulled through the molten glass rather than painted on—ensures the galaxy effect exists throughout the material, not merely on the surface. This cup will reveal new depths literally and metaphorically for years.
The modest 8cm diameter and 4.5cm height make this an intimate piece, designed for contemplative solo drinking rather than social toasting. In European interiors, such objects perform quietly but powerfully. Imagine this on a floating shelf against dove-grey walls, where its dark surface provides visual weight while the silver sparkles catch afternoon sunlight. It partners beautifully with brutalist architecture's exposed concrete or the warm timber prevalent in Japanese-inspired interiors. Display alongside ceramics for textural contrast, or let it command attention alone—the piece possesses sufficient presence for either approach.
Condition is pristine—unused, without scratches, chips, or cloudiness. Art glass this dark shows every flaw mercilessly, yet Kurokawa's piece emerges flawless under scrutiny. The rim is perfectly smooth, ground and polished to a finish that feels luxurious against the lips. The foot shows the characteristic pontil mark from hand-blowing, an authenticity marker prized by collectors.
Acquiring work from Kurokawa while he remains an active mid-career artist represents a calculated opportunity. His pieces appear occasionally in Japanese department store exhibitions but rarely reach international markets. As Western collectors increasingly recognise Japanese studio glass as distinct from both American and European traditions, early purchases in this category become particularly prescient.