An original vase, "Bird and Sakura," by ceramicist Shumei Fujii (Japanese: 藤井朱明). Made of porcelain, the central part of the vase's body is decorated with an image of a flying bird among blooming sakura or plum blossoms. The painting is an elegant cobalt blue, while the background is filled with even brushstrokes of a darker shade of blue. The design is simultaneously dynamic and calm, demonstrating exceptional brushwork and a harmonious composition. The artist employed traditional decorative techniques such as underglaze blue painting (sometsuke), engraving, and his signature konoha-giho (leaf technique), which creates subtle and poetic surface textures. The base of the vase bears the artist's signature. Japan, 1990s.Shumei Fujii was born in Arita in 1936. At the age of 15, he began working as an apprentice in a pottery workshop. In 1964, he first exhibited his work at the Nitten exhibition, where he won his first prize a year later. In 1974, he opened his own kiln in Arita, Shumeigama (朱明窯), and became a highly successful artist, winning numerous awards at the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, the Kyushu Yamaguchi Ceramic Exhibition, and the Minister of Education Award. He is known for his original decorative technique using painted leaves applied to the unglazed surface of porcelain.