Ao Oribe Chawan

This is an Ao-Oribe tea bowl by Kei Fujiwara, whose warm, gentle style—reflecting his bold and open-hearted personality—was loved by all. As an artist who deepened exchanges with various masters across the country, Fujiwara created this authentic Ao-Oribe tea bowl with a magnificent, fresh bamboo-like coloration that only he could achieve. While the form of the body is stately, it lacks any harshness; its gentle swell will hold the tea as if in a cradle. The rather tall, straight-extending foot rim is affected by the variations in the ash glaze, further emphasizing the rugged quality of the clay and creating a deeply tasteful appearance. With signed wooden box (shiho-zan style)
Diameter 12.6cm × 12.3cm × Height 9.8cm Kei Fujiwara (1899–1983, born in Bizen, Okayama Prefecture) entered the world of Bizen ware at the suggestion of the scholar of Japanese literature Atsuo Masamune, who lived in Honami, Bizen. He received instruction in wheel-throwing and other techniques from Baikai Mimura, and from 1941, he honed his skills by learning firing methods and more from fellow Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige. Emulating the rustic simplicity and boldness found in the everyday wares of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, he created vases and flower vessels with a generous and clear style. The artistic education he absorbed in his youth influenced his work. In 1954, he became the second person to be designated a Living National Treasure for Bizen ware, and in 1958, he became a director of the Japan Kōgei Association. In 1977, he established the Kei Fujiwara Memorial Museum in Bizen, Okayama Prefecture.
Major awards: Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Chugoku Culture Award; Honorary Citizen of Bizen City, Honorary Citizen of Okayama Prefecture; posthumously awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class (Junior Fifth Rank).