Fujiwara Yū 藤原雄 (1932-2001)

An unusual Bizen tea bowl by LNT Fujiwara Yū. The bowl was fired upside down so that the naturally occurring Bizen ash glaze collected at the bottom of the bowl and flows in streams toward the rim. Firing a tea bowl in this way is highly unusual because it increases the risk that the bowl will either stick to the bottom of the kiln and be destroyed, or that it will not stand flat on its foot and be unusable in the tea ceremony. However, this piece is perfectly fine either way: The ash glaze has just stopped flowing precisely over the wall at the lip of the bowl, and its foot is smooth and even. The impression of the ash glaze is further enhanced by the high and straight walls and the nice contrast with the iron oxide red Bizen clay. The inside of the bowl is unglazed and shows some red traces of "fire cords" (hidasuki) caused by braided straw cords. These cords may have been used here as a cushion on which the bowl rested during firing.

Fujiwara Yū, born in 1932 in Honami in Bizen, Okayama Prefecture, the son of Fujiwara Kei (1899-1983), was awarded the title of "Living National Treasure" in 1996 for his continuing efforts to preserve and teach the traditional techniques of Bizen pottery. Fujiwara Yū was recognized early on abroad as one of Japan's leading traditional potters, resulting in numerous exhibitions in Japan and overseas. His works are in many international public collections and are part of the permanent exhibition at the Fujiwara Kei Memorial Hall, a wonderful museum dedicated to the work of the family and the Bizen tradition in Okayama.

The tea bowl is signed with Yū's potter's mark on the bottom and comes with a matching wooden box. The box is sealed by the artist and bears an additional certification by Fujiwara Yū's wife Kimiko: "Made by the preserver of the important intangible cultural property of Bizen ceramics, the late Fujiwara Yū, certified by his wife Fujiwara Kimiko. According to this inscription, it is very likely that this tea bowl was made during one of his very last firings, and therefore it is one of his last testimonies to the world before the great master of Bizen ceramics passed away in 2001.

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