Monumental vase in Iga sandstone by Fujioka Shūhei (藤岡周平)

This sculptural Iga stoneware vase is distinguished by its powerful verticality and mineral texture. Modeled in a dense clay, it presents fractured volumes and folded edges as if shaped by erosion. Wood firing gives it a rich palette of shades: deep red clay, greenish vitrified drips known as bidoro, black traces of carbonization, and rough surfaces marked by ash. Each face reveals the alchemy between flame and material, giving the work an organic and monumental presence.

Fujioka Shūhei, born in 1947 in Matsuyama (Ehime Prefecture), is one of the great contemporary masters of Iga ceramics. After studying at Ritsumeikan University, he trained in ceramics at the Aichi Prefectural Training School, then with Tanimoto Mitsuo, heir to a long line of Iga-yaki. In 1975, he established his own kiln in Ueno (Mie Prefecture), the historic heart of Iga. Since the 1980s, he has held numerous solo exhibitions, notably at the NICAF in 1995, and his works have entered prestigious international collections, such as those of the Brooklyn Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.

With its free forms and mastery of fire, Fujioka renews the tradition of Iga-yaki, connecting large medieval vases with contemporary explorations. This vase perfectly illustrates this tension between heritage and modernity, and constitutes a major piece for an exceptional interior.

Dimensions: H. 47.5 cm × L. 21.5 cm × D. 16 cm – Weight: 8.5 kg.

Tomobako with fabric and instructions, the most recent date of which is 1994