2010 Itami Award
Itami, Japan is known as the birthplace of Sake. The city has a strong interest in developing its own culture around the idea of drinking Sake. The theme for the 2010 exhibition was Shuki (a collective noun for cup and bottle for drinking Sake) and Shuhaidai (a platform like stand on top of which Shuki is placed). There were a total of 1780 entries with 94 works being selected for the exhibition. Of these selected works, 10 were awarded prizes. 5 locally and 5 overseas. The Itami award being 3rd.
“My shuhaidai brings the o-choko together closely; a group of friends gathering around the tokkuri. The main group presents a harmonious and connected environment with smaller groups and couples that can be added as more people gather to celebrate and share the joy of drinking Sake.
For this work my focus was on the theme of Japanese tradition combining bamboo and porcelain. Carefully selected and crafted, calm, harmonious and functional.”