Armor Cup, Hawk Form, White, graffiti

Koga's popular Hoyoroi-hai (Cheek-Armor Cup) series, as its name suggests, mimics armor that fully covers the chin and cheeks — a unique sake vessel that makes the drinker appear to be donning armor as they sip.
The motif is the "kawari-kabuto" — the distinctively individual, unconventional helmets worn by warlords of the Warring States period. Koga was moved by the way these men, risking their lives on the battlefield, still competed in a uniquely personal sense of beauty — the impetus behind this work.

As social media has developed, the present era has become one in which anyone can wield influence — an age of gekokujo (the low overthrowing the high), as Koga sees it. "If you have the will and resolve to open up the era, you can rise regardless of your origin." Through making {Hoyoroi Sakazuki}, Koga continues to send encouragement to today's high-minded warriors.

This work draws inspiration from the swift, valiant image of a hawk and the armor of the karasu-tengu (crow goblin).
This expresses the cheek fur streaming upward as if toward the sky, mouth wide open, letting out a cry while threatening its opponent.
What is painted on the cheek-guard sake cup are nothing but positive words rendered in a graffiti style — "Get Stand Up," "Stay Gold," "Silver lining," and others. These are Koga's message, addressed to a world suffering under the pandemic.