A spectacular piece both in terms of its size and the strength of its decoration, this large vase in fine glazed earthenware - typical of the Kutani tradition - embodies the spirit of renewal that animated Japanese ceramics in the 1950s. Made by Fujimura Hoshu (1903–1970), one of the major artisans of modern Kutani ceramics, it testifies to a search for balance between ornamental tradition and contemporary expressiveness.

The background, dominated by deep tones of blue and green, makes the surface vibrate while serving as a setting for a stylized motif of lightly modeled hydrangeas, in front of which large birds in flight stand out, in paste on cream paste highlighted with a pearly gray outline. The whole plays on volumes, rhythms, matte and shiny contrasts thanks to gold highlights, in a purely decorative language of rare coherence.

This large, 40-centimeter-high ball vase was likely intended for an exhibition, as its visual presence extends beyond the domestic sphere. Its maker, Fujimura Hoshu, trained in Kanazawa, is one of the few Kutani ceramists to have survived the upheavals of post-war Japan by continuing to present pieces at the Teiten and then Nitten exhibitions, the leading national fairs. He was regularly selected for these exhibitions between 1947 and 1965, a period during which he developed a personal style that was both refined and bold, and deeply rooted in Japanese decorative aesthetics.

This vase thus stands out as a collector's item, but also as an interior decoration object in its own right, capable of occupying space with nobility and modernity. It embodies the transitional spirit of post-war Kutani: rooted in tradition, yet open to new forms of visual expression.

Height 40cm – Diameter 38cm

Original Tomobako.