Perhaps
best known for his large, dynamic and animated oni sculpture and even larger
ceramic and glass site installations, Mashiko artist Fujiwara Ikuzu has a broad
range of subject matter in two and three dimensions. This small ceramic stature portraying a whimsical and idiosyncratic Fudo-myoo
along with all of his tell-tale attributes including flames, fans, sword and
rope is clearly identifiable as the work of this mashiko ceramic artist and a
subject he has created numerous times. The really unique aspect of this piece
is that Fujiwara carves his pieces out of a solid block of clay adding detail
and definition along the way and that is how this piece was created. Another aspect
that makes this Fudo a bit different is that once wood-fired in his moderately
sized anagama, the flames behind the main image had a layer of gold gilt added
to create another layer of dimension to the statue. I can also relate from
having handled this somewhat weighty piece, it is quite obvious it was hewn
from a single block of clay much like a stone sculptor finding the image from
within and chiseling away until the hidden Fudo-myoo emerged.
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