Red Fujiyama sake cup by Yanashita Hideki

Width 7.2cm Height 5.6cm

Yanashita Hideki's "Red Fujiyama Sake Cup" is a sake cup that originates from a deep respect for the national treasure "Fujiyama," bequeathed to us by the master Hon'ami Koetsu of the early Edo period, and is a reinterpretation of the work, created while facing the modern era head-on. Koetsu's "Fujiyama" is considered a solitary presence in the history of Japanese ceramics due to its shape and glaze scenery. Yanashita draws on the spirit of this work, while by clashing the two strong colors of "red" and "black," he poses new questions and beauty to us who live in the modern age.

The tension in the design created by the discontinuity between red and black

The most distinctive feature of this sake cup is its bold color scheme, clearly divided into red and black. This is not just a two-tone design. The black symbolizes silence, representing "night" and "earth," while the red represents passion and the pulse of life, as if two opposing forces of nature are in conflict within the vessel. The boundary between the two colors is not a gradation, but rather is clearly defined, like the cross-section of a geological layer. This creates a sense of spatial depth and spiritual tension within the small surface area of ​​the vessel. Standing at this boundary, the user is enveloped in a mysterious sensation, as if standing between mountain and sky, fire and darkness, life and death.

The memory of life in "red"

The "red" in this vessel is not simply a color choice, but a "breathing red" that evokes a sense of life. The slightly fluctuating red harbors heat like lava, and is also the color of memories of earth and fire, like ancient vermilion clay and red lacquer. This red, which appears to cover the top of the vessel, creates a composition that resembles an upside-down Mount Fuji, forming a unique landscape that could be called Red Fuji. Just as Mount Fuji remains a sacred mountain in the hearts of Japanese people, the red of this vessel also has the power to affect us deeply.

The sealed memory of firing

Yanagishita creates his vessels through a "dialogue with fire" known as firing. In this piece, too, the subtle fluctuations that appear at the boundary between red and black, and the slight variations in the glaze, are the very memory of the firing process, where intention and chance intertwine. The black parts in particular have a slightly rough texture and minute crazes, which provide a tactile and visual contrast to the glossy red. This creates a rhythm throughout the vessel, and it shows a different expression every time it is picked up, and every time the angle of the light changes.

Landscapes and spirituality dwelling in small vessels

Though it is an extremely small sake cup, the Red Fujiyama Sake Cup embodies a magnificent landscape and spiritual expanse. Its shape, which fits snugly in the palm of your hand, maintains the natural sway and balance of hand-kneaded sake, exuding an organic and warm presence. This "mountain in your hand" is not simply a drinking vessel, but also one that quietly speaks to you. Pour sake, tilt the cup, and drink it all up, and the landscape that emerges is like a melting pot of red and black, transcending the boundaries of inside and outside, consciousness and unconsciousness.

The untold beauty of white space and silence

It is "the unspoken" that creates this sake cup's greatest appeal. For example, in the slight "solid band" between the red and black, or in the places where the boundaries of the colors blur, visual white space envelops the vessel like silence. This is the "power of white space" that is at the heart of Japanese art, just like the wind dancing on Tawaraya Sotatsu's gold background, the serenity that dwells in Korin's white space, and the lingering emotion of "the unpainted" in ink painting.

A sake cup that lets you enjoy the passage of time

The Red Fujiyama Sake Cup is a vessel that transforms the act of drinking sake from a mere pleasure to a momentous experience. As sake is poured, the red heats up and the black deepens—enjoying these changes while savoring the passage of time with the vessel. This sensation is the very essence of the aesthetic sense of a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, which is also shared with the single bowls of tea ceremony. The Red Fujiyama Sake Cup, created by Yanagishita Tokiki, is a small yet profound work of art that quietly speaks to the boundary between "being" and "not-being" through a dialogue between the two colors, red and black. The more you look at it and use it, the more a landscape of your own will emerge in the palm of your hand—a vessel that lives alongside its user, nurturing time and sensibilities.

Hideki Yanashita Profile
Ceramic artist 1967 –
Born in Tokyo, Yanagishita currently lives and works in Iga City, Mie Prefecture. Fascinated by pottery from the Momoyama period, he embarked on a career in ceramics. After training in Shigaraki , he built his own anagama kiln in Iga, Mie Prefecture, and opened the "Kanda Kiln." Under the tutelage of Sadamitsu Sugimoto, he delves deeply into the world of wabi-sabi from his own unique perspective, producing a diverse range of works, including Raku ware, Yakishime, Ido, and Oribe ware. An important theme in Yanagishita's creative endeavors is the pursuit of new heights , born from the incorporation of modern materials and unique approaches, while deeply studying the techniques and spirit of his predecessors. His works question essential beauty that transcends time and invite viewers into a deeper world of art.

Base of operations : Iga, Mie Prefecture