Firmament

This piece is coated in Fukami’s signature seihakuji glaze, which references the pale bluish glaze perfected by Chinese craftsmen in the Song and Yuan periods. To produce deep conical bowls like this, the pottery wheel must run continuously so that the piece can dry evenly. The artist has said that in the 1990s, when he was younger and capable of going without sleep, it took him just three days to make forms like this. Now, he needs six days.