Vase - Stoneware - Japan

Item Description
This is a decorative bottle-form vase by Fujii Shumei, a celebrated Arita ware ceramicist and long-time Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) exhibitor. The vase has a bulbous, egg-shaped body rising to a slender neck with a flared, trumpet-shaped mouth, a classic sake-bottle silhouette reinterpreted as a display piece.

The surface is finished in a striking tenmoku-inspired "silver sand" glaze (天目銀砂), where bands of metallic grey and black pool and streak across the body, interspersed with fine rust-red accents where the glaze thins. The effect is lustrous and almost mineral in appearance, with the glaze pooling more heavily toward the shoulder and thinning toward the foot to reveal the pale stoneware body beneath.

The base is unglazed at the foot ring, showing the white clay body and a hand-incised inscription, consistent with a studio-made work by the artist.

Artist Profile
Fujii Shumei 藤井朱明 (1936-2017) was a ceramicist born in Arita, Saga Prefecture, who began working in an akae (overglaze red enamel) workshop and pottery company at the age of fifteen. In 1962 his work "Kanryū" (Cold Stream) was accepted into the Nitten exhibition for the first time, and he was selected a further fifteen times over his career. He established himself independently as a nishikitsuke (overglaze enamel) craftsman in 1963 and founded his own Shumei Kiln (朱明窯) in 1974.

He received multiple honours, including a prize at the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, the Minister of Education Prize at the Kyushu-Yamaguchi Ceramics Exhibition, and the Japan New Crafts Award. He was a long-standing member of the Nitten exhibitions and the Saga Art Association.

Fujii developed a distinctive "tree leaf technique," pressing natural leaves against unglazed ceramic so their veins emerged as dark lines beneath the underglaze blue, forming outlines reminiscent of mountains and trees; his works chiefly depict the seasonal landscapes of his native Arita region. Examples of his work are held in the collection of the British Museum in London.

"He has been selected for the Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition) numerous times, establishing a firm position in the Japanese art world as a Nitten associate member.
Unique Technique: He possesses advanced skills in translating natural scenes and the emotional landscapes of Arita into ceramics, employing distinctive methods such as his signature 'tree leaf technique,' which skillfully incorporates the veins of real leaves."

"Highly praised for the unique gradations and textures seen in its 'Tenmoku Silver Sand Glaze' as well as the artistic mastery unique to the Shumei Kiln, it has gained popularity in auctions as well."

Size
Height: 23 cm
Width: 13 cm
Depth: 13 cm

Weight
1493 g / 1.493 kg

Condition
The vase presents in good overall condition consistent with age and studio production, with no chips or cracks noted on visual inspection. Light surface wear is visible at the foot ring, and the glaze shows the natural variation and pooling characteristic of this technique rather than damage. No professional restoration has been identified.

Additional Information
Origin: Arita, Saga Prefecture, Japan
Ware type: Arita ware (有田焼)
Glaze: Tenmoku-style "silver sand" glaze (天目銀砂)
The base bears a hand-incised inscription consistent with the artist's studio practice.

NOITICE:

The lot will be carefully packaged and sent by Japan Post, DHL or FedEx depend on the situation.
It takes about 3 weeks to receive normally.
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