Bizen Syuhai

This is a Bizen hidasuki sake cup by Kei Fujiwara, an artist beloved by all for a style that was both bold and unconstrained, while exuding a gentle warmth. Created between his middle and later years, this is a rare sake cup featuring an extraordinary texture born from an exquisite firing temperature. One part of the front exhibits a soft, orange-toned clay surface, with a sweet, "botamochi"-like finish characteristic of climbing kiln firing. Elsewhere, unusually, the piece displays a texture reminiscent of blue Bizen due to reduction firing, resulting in a refined aesthetic where greyish-blue hidasuki markings are draped over a grey clay surface. It is rare for such contrasting colors to appear simultaneously; it brings to mind ancient Bizen pottery shards that possess the dual characteristics of both Sue ware—with its strong reduction colors—and Bizen ware, as it transitioned between the two. Signed wooden box (shiho-zan style)
Diameter 6.5cm × Diameter 6.3cm × Height 4.8cm Kei Fujiwara (1899–1983, born in Honami, Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture) entered the world of Bizen pottery at the recommendation of the literary scholar Atsuo Masamune, who also lived in Honami, Bizen City.

He received instruction in techniques such as wheel-throwing from Umei Mimura, and from 1941, he studied firing methods and honed his ceramic skills under Toyo Kaneshige, the first Living National Treasure for Bizen ware.

In his creative process, he admired the simplicity and boldness found in ancient Bizen pottery from the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, establishing a style that was simple, clear, and generous, without relying too heavily on technicality.

Furthermore, the artistic sensibility he cultivated while aspiring to be a writer and poet in his youth also had a profound influence on his work.

He was certified as an Okayama Prefecture Important Intangible Cultural Property holder in 1954 and became a director of the Japan Kōgei Association in 1958.

In 1970, he was designated a holder of a nationally designated Important Intangible Cultural Property, commonly known as a Living National Treasure.

The Kei Fujiwara Memorial Museum opened in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture, in 1977.

He passed away in 1983.

Major awards and honors: Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Chugoku Cultural Award, Honorary Citizen of Bizen City, Honorary Resident of Okayama Prefecture, Junior Fifth Rank, Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class, etc.