Bizen-yaki square dish

This is a Bizen square dish by Kei Fujiwara, an artist beloved by all for his bold, open-hearted style that radiated warmth. Within the lead-colored clay, he awakened a variety of hues using only the flame, creating a painting that uses no pigments, composed entirely of the energy hidden within the clay itself. The scene that scorched his eyes when he opened the kiln is captured here as if in a photograph; it features a magnificent landscape of sesame-seed glaze and ash deposits centered around a gradation of orange to scarlet to dark brown. The thick-walled design possesses the dynamism characteristic of Fujiwara, and this piece, which boasts an overwhelming presence, can also be fully enjoyed as a decorative dish. (Please note that there is chipping along the edge overall, and two areas visible from the front have been repaired with gold lacquer.) Signed wooden box (double-crosspiece lid)
Diameter 29.1cm x Diameter 28.4cm x Height 2.2cm Kei Fujiwara (1899–1983, born in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture) entered the path of Bizen ware at the suggestion of Atsuo Masamune, a scholar of Japanese literature living in Honami, Bizen City. He received instruction in wheel-throwing and other techniques from Baikai Mimura, and from 1941, he honed his ceramic skills by learning firing methods and more from fellow Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige. Emulating the simplicity and boldness found in Kamakura and Muromachi period utilitarian ware, he created jars and flower vases with a generous and clear style. The appreciation for the arts he absorbed in his youth influenced his work. In 1954, he became the second person to be designated a Holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property (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 City, Okayama Prefecture.
Major awards: Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Chugoku Cultural Award; Honorary Citizen of Bizen City; Honorary Resident of Okayama Prefecture; posthumously awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class.