Fujiwara Yū (1932-2001)

A powerful yet well-balanced Bizen tea bowl by Living National Treasure Fujiwara Yū. The tea bowl is made of a very finely textured, bright orange, unglazed Bizen clay. The only decoration consists of dark red lines stretching vertically on the vessel's wall from the foot to the rim. To create this pattern, rice straw cords were soaked in salt water and then bound around the unglazed clay body. While fired, the cords burn completely, leaving dark red traces on the surface from which the Japanese name of the technique derives: hidasuki, or "red cord" or "fire cord". It is a unique way of decoration for Bizen ware produced since the Momoyama-period (1573-1603).

When you look inside the bowl, the surface of the vessel's inner wall shows a soft metallic glow by reflecting the light.

Fujiwara Yū, born 1932 in Honami in Bizen, Okayama prefecture, as son of Fujiwara Kei (1899-1983), has been awarded the title "Living National Treasure" in 1996 for his continuous efforts to preserve and transmit the traditional techniques of Bizen pottery. Fujiwara Yū was early recognized abroad as one of Japan's leading traditional potters what led to countless exhibitions in Japan and overseas. His works are collected in many international public institutions and are part of the permanent exhibition in the Fujiwara Kei Memorial Hall (FAN Museum), a wonderful museum dedicated to the family's work and the Bizen tradition in Okayama.

The tea bowl is signed with Yū's potter mark and comes with a fitted, inscribed, signed and sealed wooden box.

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