Vase - Porcelain - Japan - Rare in the EU — No customs

Vase: First snowflakes on the forests of Arita.

Porcelain vase signed Fujii Shumei, from a European collection. Shipping from Europe: no customs fees for bidders from the European Union.

The piece features a slender silhouette topped with a fine collar. The decor is arranged in a long gradient from dense blue to white, depicting the depth of the forests of Arita at the time of the first snow. The representation of the trees on the mountain is created using the konoha-gihō technique, where leaves are applied to the surface; their veins leave a natural and irregular imprint, which is then revealed during firing.
The snowflakes are created through a meticulous application of very fine dots, placed one by one. The contrast between the depth of the landscape and the delicacy of these snow dots gives the vase a rare atmospheric dimension.

Dimensions
Height: 29 cm
Diameter: 12 cm

Fujii Shumei (1936–2017)

Ceramist from Arita (Saga Prefecture). He founded his own kiln, Shumeigama, in 1974, and developed an approach where the traditional techniques of Arita are revisited through personal methods, including the konoha-gihō, which has become his signature. He has been repeatedly selected for the Nitten at the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition and received the Saga Prefecture Cultural Achievement Award in 1994. His works are included in some public collections, including the British Museum.



English version:

Vase: First snowflakes on the forests of Arita

Fujii Shumei signed porcelain vase. Shipped from Europe: no customs fees for EU bidders.

The elongated form and narrow neck emphasize the vertical landscape depicted along the body of the vase. A gradient from deep blue to white reveals layered Arita forest landscapes covered by the season’s first snow. The representation of the trees is created using the konoha-gihō leaf-imprint technique: leaves are pressed into the raw clay, their natural vein patterns forming subtle textures that emerge after firing. These overlapping impressions build the depth and rhythm of the forest.
The snowflakes are rendered with a meticulous point application, each dot placed individually.

Dimensions
Height: 29 cm
Diameter: 12 cm

Fujii Shumei (1936–2017)

Ceramist from Arita (Saga Prefecture). Founder of the Shumeigama kiln in 1974. He is known for combining traditional Arita porcelain methods with his personal innovations, especially the konoha-gihō leaf-texture technique. He exhibited at Nitten and the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, and received the Saga Prefecture Cultural Achievement Award in 1994. Some of his works are held in public collections including the British Museum.