Yū Fujiwara
Yū Fujiwara ( Japanese 藤原 雄 , Fujiwara Yū ; born June 10, 1932 in Honami in Bizen , Okayama Prefecture ; † October 29, 2001 ) was a Japanese potter and artisan. It was declared in 1996 as a living national treasure for the important intangible cultural asset “ceramic production”.
Yū Fujiwara was born as the eldest son of the ceramic master Kei Fujiwara . Although his eyesight was significantly reduced, like his father he was initially enthusiastic about literature and music. From 1951 he studied Japanese literature at Meiji University . After graduating, he took a job at Misuzu Shōbō in 1955 , but gave up the position in the same year and returned home to take care of his father. As a result, he learned the pottery trade and in particular the tradition of Bizen ceramics from his father, who was also named a living national treasure . He married in 1957 and his eldest son, Kazu, was born the following year. In 1961 he became a full member of the Japanese Craft Association.
In 1964 he exhibited his works abroad for the first time, in the American Museum of Ceramic Art and in Pointe-Claire in Canada. Subsequently, he gave lectures on Bizen ceramics in America, Canada, Mexico and Spain. In 1965 he was together with the woodcut artist Munakata Shikō visiting professor at Dartmouth College . 1985 Yū Fujiwara was honored with the medal of honor on the dark blue ribbon. In 1988 he was the first Japanese to exhibit his works at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in South Korea.
Yū Fujiwara, like his father before him, was named a Living National Treasure on May 10, 1996 for his Bizen ceramics. In 2001 he died of multiple organ failure at the age of 69 .
Individual evidence
Web links
- 藤原 雄 . Fujiwara Kei Museum, 2001,accessed March 22, 2015(Japanese).
- 藤原 雄 (ふ じ は ら ゆ う) . Kano Museum of Art, 2015,accessed March 22, 2015(Japanese).
- 藤原 雄 (ふ じ わ ら ゆ う): 備 前 焼 の 人間 国宝 . 日本 伝 統 文化 ス タ イ ル, 2015,accessed on March 22, 2015(Japanese, with illustrations of Fujiwara's works).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fujiwara, Yū |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 藤原 雄 (Japanese) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese artisan and living national treasure |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 10, 1932 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bizen , Okayama Prefecture |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 29, 2001 |