Black Bizen-ware thin tea container

This is a black Bizen usucha tea container by Sho Fujita, an artist who has been active since his time at the Bizen Pottery Center following his comprehensive studies in art. The unique dome-shaped form was created by throwing the piece on the wheel with the rim as the base, then crafting the top section and flipping it over to complete the form. The stony surface texture features a metallic black hue, a magnificent natural black achieved without slip through extensive research into the clay. The surface gives off a dull luster, as if it were beaten iron, and will surely complement the refreshing green of matcha beautifully. (Please note that there is a small chip on the joint of the rim, as shown in the final photo.) Signed wooden box (shiho-san style)
Diameter 6.9cm x Diameter 6.5cm x Height 6.4cm Sho Fujita was born in Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, in 1978. In 1987, he began four years of comprehensive art studies at the studio of Western-style painter Kyoji Ono. In 1993, he spent three years studying drawing and design at the studio of Western-style painter Hisamitsu Yamauchi. In 1997, he learned the fundamentals of pottery from Yasumaki Kawasaki and Minoru Nakamura, and the following year, in 1998, he entered the Bizen Pottery Center. After completing his studies there in 1998, he apprenticed for five years under Bizen ware artist Kazuya Hashimoto. In 2003, he was selected for the Okayama Prefectural Art Exhibition. He became independent and fired his first kiln in 2004. In 2006, he was selected for the 49th Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition (Chugoku Branch). That same year, he also submitted work to and was selected for the 23rd Tanabe Museum of Art "Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition."