Pomegranates and Plump Butterflies

Hanada: Today, I would like to talk about the tableware scheduled for your upcoming solo exhibition. First, let’s look at this pomegranate small bowl.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : I originally saw this pattern on an early Imari plate. At first glance, it doesn’t really look like a pomegranate, does it? You can barely tell by these small dots.

Hanada: Pomegranates are usually depicted a bit more directly in terms of shape.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : When I first saw it, I almost thought it was a strawberry (laughs). And look at this rather thick, plump butterfly—isn’t it wonderful?

Hanada: Is that plump look, along with the overall composition, exactly like the early Imari piece you saw?

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : The plumpness is identical (laughs). Though I don’t think the original had the circular border lines.

Hanada: The original was a plate, so what made you decide to turn it into a small bowl?

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : I originally wanted to make a small bowl of this size, and when it came to painting, I remembered this pattern I had seen before. Since it was originally a design meant for a plate, you never really know if it will suit a bowl until it comes out of the kiln.

Hanada: Turning it into a bowl adds depth. Is there anything you pay special attention to when painting pieces with depth?

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : The overall balance. When adapting a flat design into a deep bowl, I try to center the composition as if drawing everything inward, and then frame the edge with lines to tighten the look.

Overlapping Rings Plate

Hanada: Next is the overlapping rings plate.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : The original inspiration comes from Ko-Imari ware in the Shibata Collection.

Hanada: I see.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Instead of drawing outlines, I painted the rings using only two different shades of Dami wash painting. If you only use the wash, the design can look flat, so I added some sgraffito scratching techniques as well.

Hanada: That brings out a sense of depth.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Yes, and I think it adds a bit of movement too.

Hanada: The way the rings overlap is very eye-catching. The slight bleeding of the lighter blue Gosu pigment is also lovely.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Ah, that was entirely accidental (laughs). It looks interesting, but there is no guarantee it will bleed just as nicely the next time (laughs).

Hanada: In terms of composition, keeping the circles from being fully contained within the center creates a sense of openness.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : That’s true. Applying iron slip to the rim also frames and refines the piece.

What Kind of Flower Is It…?

Hanada: The composition of the square plate with wash painting and sgraffito flower patterns is very stylish. Shifting the checkerboard pattern on a square plate and scratching out the flowers…

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : The idea was inspired by Korean Pojagi patchwork wrapping cloths.

Hanada: The way the flowers are scratched out across the borders feels wonderfully unconstrained.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : I originally came across that specific layout on a Pojagi cloth, and because I found it intriguing, I decided to recreate it.

Hanada: So you were drawn to the flower pattern itself, rather than starting with the checkerboard layout?

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Exactly. I remember thinking, “This is really fascinating.”

Hanada: This type of floral motif isn’t something you often see in pottery.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : I’ve spent a lot of time wondering what kind of flower it could be. Don’t you think it looks a bit like a tulip?

Hanada: Well, now that you mention it, perhaps.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : At first, I thought it might be a balloon flower.

Hanada: Looking just at the blossom, it certainly resembles a balloon flower.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Yes, if you look only at the bloom. But the leaves are entirely different. That is why I started thinking it must be a tulip.

Hanada: It is always enjoyable to look at antique designs and guess what the motifs represent.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : It really is. Customers often ask me, “What flower is this?” Sometimes I end up pondering it right along with them (laughs), thinking, “Please don’t ask me any more than that!” (laughs).

Hanada: You also offset the center of the checkerboard.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : It brings out that Pojagi textile feel. To keep it close to the texture of cloth, I applied it to a flat plate format.

For the First Time in 10 Years

Hanada: Next is the clover-shaped plate with a plum blossom motif.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : I hadn’t made this piece in over a decade, but I decided to bring it back. I was absentmindedly looking over my past work in the studio and thought, “Oh, come to think of it, I haven’t done this one in a long time. Looking at it now, it’s quite interesting” (laughs).

Hanada: It seems this plate was waiting ten years for you to rediscover it.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : I used to make it consistently for about twenty years from the time I became independent. I have no idea why I stopped making it (laughs). It’s nice to have one of my irregular shapes every now and then, don’t you think?

Hanada: It adds variety, which makes things fun, whether it is for plates or bowls.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Even with the same diameter, you can have deep pieces, shallow pieces, flat ones… different shapes serving the same basic purpose as a small dish. That diversity creates so many variations, and I believe that is part of what makes the Japanese dining experience so rich. You have white porcelain, blue and white ware, overglaze pieces, lacquerware, and earthenware. Japanese tableware is incredibly abundant.

Hanada: When you revisit an old design after a long break, does it bring back memories from that time?

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : No, not at all (laughs). I don’t really remember things from that far back. I have my hands full just focusing on the present (laughs).

Flower-Shaped Plate with Shippo and Floral Patterns

Hanada: Could you tell us about this flower-shaped plate with Shippo (cloisonné) and floral patterns?

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Much like the overlapping rings piece, I found the use of negative space here very compelling.

Hanada: Is this one also originally based on Ko-Imari ware?

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Yes. The original piece was a perfect circle rather than flower-shaped.

Hanada: Is this layout common? I occasionally see pieces where half of the circle is filled with a Shippo pattern.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : I think this specific pattern is quite rare, which is likely why it caught my eye. The concept of flowers emerging over a Shippo geometric background is also wonderful. So, I decided to paint it onto a flower-shaped plate format that I already had.

Hanada: So you already had this flower-shaped form. With a different pattern, it’s hard to believe it’s the same shape. What made you choose this flower shape for this design?

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Hmm… purely intuition (laughs). Originally, I used to paint a traditional wandering line pattern on this flower-shaped piece.

Looking Ahead to the Exhibition

Hanada: Thank you so much for sharing all these insights with us. Is there anything else you would like to add?

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : No, if I talk too much, I might reveal my shortcomings, so I think I will leave it at that (laughs).

Hanada: We are very much looking forward to the solo exhibition. Thank you for your time.

Mitsuo Fujitsuka : Thank you as well.