A haunting bowl, ghostly thin, gleaming softly like an ancient gilded bronze vessel unearthed after centuries. Matsushita Hiroki achieves an extraordinary lightness of form, the shallow profile and softly luminous gold surface recalling the quiet patina of aged metal rather than the brilliance of new gilding, lending the work an air of timeless restraint. Created as part of his project Utsuwa-tsunagi, which sought to bridge the worlds of art and the dining table, the work embodies a refined balance between sculptural presence and functional vessel. Enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled “Fugen Gold Asabachi.” Diameter 23 cm, height 5.5 cm. Excellent condition, acquired directly from the artist before his passing.A beautiful compliment to the matching dark Fugen bowl (MC414).
Matsushita Hiroki (1977–2024) was born in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture and encountered clay early in life, an engagement that deepened through formal study and culminated in a Doctorate in Fine Arts from Kyushu Sangyo University in 2009. His research on the Kakiemon style, conducted under the guidance of the Fourteenth-generation Sakaida Kakiemon and supported by the Ministry of Education’s 21st Century COE Program, placed him in direct dialogue with one of Japan’s most refined ceramic traditions. In 2017, he founded the studio-gallery Utsuwa Tsunagi (“vessels that bind”), reflecting his conviction that ceramics serve as quiet agents of human connection. Selected for the National Artists Exhibition at the Uenomori Art Museum in 2021, his career was marked by steady expansion and a sustained commitment to refinement. His works—often bearing metal-like surfaces tempered by warmth—embody a balance of rigor and grace, vessels shaped not only by discipline but by a gentle hand. Matsushita passed away in 2024. His loss is deeply felt, yet his spirit endures in the vessels he formed—objects that continue to accompany daily rituals with quiet gravity, inviting pause, touch, and connection.
