Kutani Ware Red Fuji Ceramic Cup by Masato Yashiki

At a glance

• Hand-painted Red Fuji captures the rare moment Mount Fuji glows red in the early morning light
• Red Fuji has long been regarded as an auspicious sight in Japan, giving the image meaning beyond the landscape
• Painted by Masato Yashiki, Japan Kogei Association member known for expressive Kutani colour and narrative work

Red Fuji is a rare sight.

Under particular conditions, the rising sun can turn Mount Fuji a deep red for a brief period in the early morning. Because the phenomenon is unusual, Red Fuji has long been regarded in Japan as an especially auspicious image.

Its most famous artistic interpretation is Hokusai’s Gaifū Kaisei, often translated as South Wind, Clear Sky or Fine Wind, Clear Morning. The image strips the landscape back to the mountain, clear sky and changing light, allowing the red Fuji itself to carry the composition.

Masato Yashiki brings that subject into Kutani Ware on a much smaller scale. The mountain is painted by hand across the cup, with rich red and warm tones turning the curved ceramic surface into a painting you can rotate and hold.

Yashiki trained under second-generation Isokichi Asakura and later became a full member of the Japan Kogei Association. His work moves between Kutani overglaze colour, gold and silver decoration, with a particular interest in creating a sense of story through ceramics.

That combination is what gives this cup its value: an auspicious Japanese landscape interpreted individually by an established Kutani artist, rather than reproduced as a standard decorative motif.

Presented in a paulownia wood box, it works naturally as a significant gift for a milestone or new chapter, while remaining a functional cup for sake, tea or another smaller pour.