Japanese matcha bowl by Shin Fujihira

Width 14.5cm x Height 8.5cm

A conversation with Yasushi Fujihira

A tea bowl that embodies refined elegance and poetry

The "Iron Painting Tea Bowl" is a piece that embodies Shin Fujihira's unique sensibility. Its neat and elegant appearance gives the viewer a tranquil impression, while also exuding a mysterious aura. The playfulness of the poetic pottery is deeply reflected in this tea bowl.

The appeal of iron painting techniques

Iron painting is a technique in which patterns are painted onto ceramics using pigments containing iron oxide. By applying glaze and firing, the composition of the iron changes, resulting in a wide range of colors, from rust red to yellowish brown and black. Iron painting tea bowls use this technique to create natural and free-flowing patterns that are faithful to the movements of the brush. The exquisite balance between the randomness of firing and controlled beauty gives the tea bowls their unique look.

Formation by combining potter's wheel and hand-forming techniques

Shin Fujihira uses a unique method of combining the potter's wheel and hand-twisting when making his tea bowls. This is an innovative method in which the body is shaped on the potter's wheel, any parts of the bottom that are not to his liking are cut off, and the foot is finished by hand-twisting. This allows for a powerful yet gentle form that combines the rigid linearity of the potter's wheel with the soft naturalness of hand-twisting. This unique technique by Fujihira gives the "Iron-e Tea Bowl" a unique presence.

Challenging and playfulness in tea pottery

Shin Fujihira has deliberately distanced himself from tea ceremony ceramics throughout his 40-plus years as a ceramicist, but in 1993 he held a solo exhibition at the Kyoto Tea Ceremony Museum entitled "Shin Fujihira - Playing with Tea Ceremony" and began a new challenge. This piece was created in the spirit of "creating freely" and is a piece that displays Fujihira's playfulness and originality. His attitude of showing new possibilities for ceramics by challenging the traditional genre of tea ceremony ceramics can be felt in this tea bowl.

The background of poetic beauty

Born in Gojozaka, Kyoto, he grew up with the tradition of pottery. He created many works rich in poetic sentiment by combining the painterly sensibility he had developed while recuperating from an illness with his own unique techniques. Known as the "poet of pottery," he uses concrete motifs such as animals, plants, and people to create natural yet sophisticated works. His tea bowls are no exception, and they fully express his poetic worldview and free-spirited ideas.

The appeal of iron-painted tea bowls

This "Iron-painted Tea Bowl" is not only a practical tea utensil, but also a work that embodies the results of Shin Fujihira's artistic exploration. The exquisite lightness when held in the hand, the smoothness when it touches the lips, and the profound taste of the pattern bring a special moment to the everyday tea ceremony. This tea bowl, which combines Shin Fujihira's playfulness and craftsmanship, is a work that captures the hearts of those who see it and use it. The "Iron-painted Tea Bowl" is a new form of tea pottery that Shin Fujihira created with his free and unconventional ideas. The harmony between the neat shape and the soft iron painting patterns makes it attractive not only for the tea ceremony but also as an ornamental piece. This tea bowl can be said to be a masterpiece that realizes the fusion of tradition, innovation, and poetry .

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."