Best matcha bowl by Shin Fujihira

Width 14cm x Height 14cm

A conversation with Yasushi Fujihira

A rounded and accommodating form

Fujihira Shin's "Cinnabar Tea Bowl" is characterized by its rounded, embracing shape that draws the viewer in. This large, solid form gives a sense of security that makes you want to wrap your hands around it when you hold it. Its appearance is as if it is gently embracing the user's heart, and the entire vessel exudes a calm, warm atmosphere. Combining the functional beauty of a tea bowl with the aesthetic beauty of a work of art, this piece brings tranquility and healing to the tea ceremony and suggests new possibilities for tea utensils.

The rich color variations created by cinnabar glaze

The greatest attraction of the "Cinnabar Tea Bowl" is, without a doubt, its beautiful color gradation . The vivid red that is unique to cinnabar glaze colors the top of the bowl, and gradually changes to a pale blue color as it moves downwards. This color change is the product of chance, an interweaving of flame and glaze, but it is beautifully controlled by Shin Fujihira's outstanding technique and sensibility.

The viscosity of this glaze creates subtle movement on the surface, and the light reflects it in a variety of different ways. The deep red color gives a sense of strength and warmth, while the pale blue color gives a sense of serenity and coolness. The exquisite harmony of these colors never fails to draw the viewer in.

Elegant and elegant platform

The beauty of the "Cinnabar Tea Bowl" is not only in the body, but also in the neat finish of the foot . The foot is an important part that supports the entire tea bowl, but it never asserts itself too much and blends into the overall design.

The finish is sophisticated, and acts like a stage to highlight the work. This attention to detail enhances the overall perfection of the tea bowl, giving satisfaction to the viewer.

The Technique and Poetic Feelings of Shin Fujihira

Shin Fujihira is known as a ceramic artist who inherits traditional Kyoto ware techniques while also reflecting his own poetic sensibility in his work. Known as the "poet of ceramics," his work is imbued with a playful and experimental spirit, and these characteristics are fully apparent in the "Cinnabar Tea Bowl."

Shin Fujihira is adept at combining the potter's wheel and hand-forming techniques to exquisitely harmonize the hardness and softness of shapes. This "Cinnabar Tea Bowl" is a work that can be said to be the culmination of his skills, and the harmony between the body shaped on the potter's wheel and the foot finished by hand is striking.

Chai pottery challenges and free ideas

Shin Fujihira began making tea pottery in earnest after his solo exhibition "Shin Fujihira - Playing with Tea Ceramics" held in 1993. This exhibition showed his free-thinking and experimental attitude in making tea utensils, and had a major influence on his subsequent works. "Cinnabar Tea Bowl" is a work that is an extension of this challenge and playfulness. What he valued in making tea pottery was the attitude of "creating freely without being bound by form." This spirit is strongly reflected in the design of "Cinnabar Tea Bowl" and the use of glazes.

The appeal of the "Cinnabar Tea Bowl": the fusion of art and practicality

Fujihira Shin's "Cinnabar Tea Bowl" is a masterpiece that is practical as a tea ceremony utensil, but does not lose its uniqueness as a work of art. Its generous form, the vivid and delicate colors of the cinnabar glaze, and the careful finish with attention to detail make this piece special. When you pick up this tea bowl, you will naturally be captivated by its beauty, and when you use it, you will feel its charm even more. The "Cinnabar Tea Bowl" is a masterpiece that will remain in the history of pottery, fusing Fujihira Shin's poetic sensibility with his high level of technique. Please enjoy this piece, which not only enriches the time spent at the tea ceremony, but also gives a quiet emotion to the user.

Shin Fujihira Biography
1944 Entered Kyoto Higher Technical School but dropped out due to illness
1945 Started pottery at Tohei Ceramic Arts
1957: Won the Hokuto Prize at the 13th Nitten Exhibition
1960 Florence International Ceramic Exhibition, Italy
1963: Received the Kikka Award at the 6th Shin-Nihon Exhibition and the Kyoto Prefecture Cultural Merit Award
1968 New Generation Contemporary Ceramic Art Exhibition: Ceramic Art Today - From Kyoto
1970 Contemporary Ceramics Europe and Japan Exhibition
1973 Received the Japan Ceramic Society Award
1974 Latin American Travel Exhibition
1976 Traveling exhibition of Japanese ceramic masterpieces in East Germany
1978 Traveling exhibition of Japanese ceramic masterpieces in West Germany
1982 US/Canada Traveling Exhibition
1983 Contemporary Japanese Crafts Exhibition
1985: Perspectives on Contemporary Japanese Art
1990: Winner of the Kyoto Art and Culture Award
1991 Received the Kyoto City Cultural Merit Award

"This is a new, unused piece. It is currently kept at the Fujihira Shin Memorial Museum. If you purchase it, his son, Fujihira Yasushi, will create a box to certify that it is an authentic piece."