Pale pink tinges the upper sky over forest covered hills blanketed in winter mist decorating the sheer sides of this beautiful porcelain water container for use in the Maccha Tea Ceremony by Fujii Shumei enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Asahi no Mizusashi. It is 16.5 cm (6-1/2 inches) diameter, 22 cm (8-1/2 inches) tall and in perfect condition.
Fujii Shumei was born in 1936 (Showa 11) in Arita Town. At the age of 15, he began working at local overglaze enamel (akae) workshops and ceramic manufacturing companies. In 1962, he was selected for the first time for the Nitten exhibition with his work Cold Current (Kanryū), and went on to be selected a total of 15 times. In 1963, he became independent as a porcelain overglaze decorator, and in 1974, he established his own kiln, Shumei-gama. He received numerous accolades, including awards at the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, the Minister of Education Award at the Kyushu-Yamaguchi Ceramic Exhibition, and the Japan New Craft Award at the Japan New Craft Exhibition. He is known for his unique technique of using leaf motifs in underglaze blue decoration, through which he expresses poetic, seasonal impressions of the Arita landscape.
