Bizen Hidasuki Sake Cup

This is a Bizen hidasuki sake cup by Kei Fujiwara, an artist beloved by all for a warm style that radiated both boldness and kindness. Created between his middle and later years, this masterpiece features a mugwort-colored clay body draped in rich, vibrant hidasuki markings. The finish is reminiscent of the hidasuki works fired in the climbing kiln of his close friend, Toyo Kaneshige, and one look tells you it was crafted using superior clay. While Kei Fujiwara’s sake cups varied greatly in size and style, this particular piece is neither too large nor too small; with a classic, unpretentious shape, it is truly the definitive, quintessential sake cup. Original signed wooden box (with two-sided batten)
Diameter 6.7cm x Diameter 6.5cm x Height 5.0cm Kei Fujiwara (1899–1983, born in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture) entered the world of Bizen ware at the urging of the scholar of Japanese literature, Atsuo Masamune, who lived in the Honami district of Bizen. He received instruction in wheel-throwing from Umejika Mimura, and from 1941, he honed his ceramic skills under the guidance of fellow Living National Treasure Toyo Kaneshige, from whom he learned firing techniques. Modeling his work on the simplicity and boldness found in Kamakura and Muromachi period utilitarian wares, he created jars and vases with a generous and clear-cut style. The artistic education he absorbed in his youth greatly influenced his work. In 1954, he became the second holder of the designation 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 and honors: Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Chugoku Cultural Award, Honorary Citizen of Bizen City, Honorary Citizen of Okayama Prefecture; posthumously awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class, and conferred the court rank of Junior Fifth Rank.