Hidasuki Bizen Tokkuri Sake Flask

I wonder if many people are attracted to Bizen pottery because of the awe they feel for nature and the richness of the earth. Bizen ware exhibits a wide range of colors and expressions that one would not expect from pottery made without glaze, and it has a charm that never loses its interest.

Hidasuki is a signature Bizen technique in which straw is wrapped around a piece of pottery and fired to create a beautiful pattern where the part of the pottery touched by the straw turns bright scarlet. The scarlet color of Syo Fujita’s work is exceptionally bright, as if flowing from the mouth of the tokkuri sake flask to its foot. The smooth surface of the clay, with small grains of stone both visible and hidden inside, feels cool and comfortable in the palm of your hand, and seems to soften the taste of sake you pour into it.

The artist’s sincere approach to the essence of clay seems to have brought out its fresh and unfading presence despite its traditional style. It is a work of modest and simple intrinsic beauty that one cannot let go of.