Japanese matcha tea bowl by Shin Fujihira

Width 12.5cm x Height 8.5cm

A conversation with Yasushi Fujihira

Characteristics of this piece: Elegant shape and beautiful green glaze

The bowl's neat shape and the clear transparency of the green glaze captivate the viewer. The way the glaze drips and the subtle harmony between the clay and the glaze that appears on the surface of the bowl give this tea bowl a quiet elegance. In particular, the deep depth created by the fusion of the clay's expression and the transparent green glaze creates a fascinating scene that one would want to look at forever. The way the glaze drips is the true joy of pottery, born from chance and technique, and is a condensed version of the beauty of nature's sculpture.

The technique and history of ash glaze

Kaiyu is a traditional glazing technique that uses plant ash as a solvent. The color of this glaze changes depending on the type of plant used and the firing method, and it is characterized by a beautiful green color known as green glaze pottery.
There are three main types of ash glaze:

Pottery ash : Low in iron, produces a pale celadon-like glaze.

Earthen ash: Ash from miscellaneous wood is used, and depending on the firing conditions, it produces a yellowish brown to blue-green or brownish green color.

Straw ash : Ash made from burnt and crushed rice straw is often used as a milky white glossy glaze.

Shin Fujihira's "Ash Glazed Tea Bowl" is a work that sublimates traditional techniques into a contemporary ceramic art expression. By skillfully combining oxidation and reduction during firing, a unique green color and transparency are brought out.

Shin Fujihira's innovative approach to pottery

He is a contemporary ceramic artist who has opened up new horizons in the ceramic art world of Kyoto. Born into a family of potters on Gojozaka, he was defeated by tuberculosis at a young age, an experience that greatly influenced his later style of work. During his battle with the illness, he devoted himself to sketching and reading, and after recovering, he decided to pursue a career in ceramics. This experience became the starting point that gives his work a poetic and narrative quality.

Tohei-sama is known for his free-form pottery, unconstrained by the traditional wheel-throwing methods, and has created unique, natural shapes using hand-throwing and Tatara-style molding. On the other hand, he has developed a unique technique for making tea bowls that combines wheel-throwing and hand-throwing. Even in his "ash-glazed tea bowls," he uses a unique technique in which the body of the bowl is turned on the wheel, any parts that are not to his liking are cut away, and the foot is finished by hand-throwing. This technique produces pieces that perfectly combine the precision of the wheel and the warmth of hand-throwing.

Challenging Tea Ceremony and Solo Exhibition "Playing with Tea Ceremony"

For a long time, Shin Fujihira consciously avoided making tea pottery. However, in 1993, he held a solo exhibition titled "Shin Fujihira - Playing with Tea Ceremony" at the Tea Ceremony Museum in Kyoto, and began to seriously work on making tea bowls. This solo exhibition was initiated by Seizo Hayashiya. Regarding this exhibition, he said, "Because the potter's wheel is a machine, it inevitably becomes hard. Even if you make everything by hand, it's somehow fuzzy and it's difficult to make it crisp and crisp. So I took the best of both worlds." The ash-glazed tea bowl is one of the results of this challenge to make tea pottery, and reflects his free and playful creative attitude. The glazes are bold yet delicate, and the form created by the fusion of the potter's wheel and hand-twisting embodies Fujihira's unique worldview.

Title of "Poet of Ceramic"

Shin Fujihira's works are not only regarded as pottery, but also as works of art rich in poetry. The motifs of birds, flowers, people, etc. that appear in his works have a narrative quality and a fairy-tale-like worldview, and have established his reputation as a "poet of pottery." His poetic sensibility is also alive in the "ash-glazed tea bowl." His spirituality, which makes you feel the breath of nature and life, is reflected in the transparent glaze. Based on traditional ash-glazed techniques, this work has created new value through Shin Fujihira's innovative approach to pottery. The harmony of the neat form and beautiful green glaze, and the natural fusion of the earth and glaze, truly symbolize Shin Fujihira's sincere attitude toward pottery. This work, which infuses a poetic modern aesthetic sense into the traditional vessel of a tea bowl, gives viewers deep emotion and joy.

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."