Koga's masterpiece series of cheek armor cups, which are vessels to be worn.
Tea ceremony is a Japanese comprehensive art that developed as a form of education for the samurai class. Sake vessels developed as kaiseki vessels based on this lineage. It is a work that takes into account the history of tea ceremony, Sengoku warlords, and crafts, and expresses it as art.
Koga sees the modern era as an age of inferiority. Even in today's uncertain future, if you have the will and determination to pioneer the times, you can stand out regardless of your origins. The motif is the cheek armor, the menacing armor worn by warlords during battles, to express people's way of life and spirit. This work contains a message of encouragement for today's high-minded military commanders.
Among the many cheek armor series, this piece is inspired by the legendary Sengoku warlord, Uesugi Kenshin, who was nicknamed ``Echigo no Dragon.''
The bronze-like color could only be achieved by using rocks from Amakusa, Kyushu, which Koga uses as a material for his porcelain.