Yu Fujiwara, a ceramic artist specializing in Bizen stoneware, died Monday morning at an Okayama hospital, his family said. Fujiwara, who had been awarded the status of living national treasure, was 69.
A native of Okayama, he graduated from Meiji University in Tokyo and started his career as an assistant to his late father, Kei, also a Bizen ceramicist who obtained the status of living national treasure. Bizen is an unglazed style of stoneware made in Okayama Prefecture, the feudal-era name of which was Bizen. Produced in high-temperature firings, the ceramics, some of which have a glossy surface due to the firing method, were originally used in tea ceremonies.
In 1963, Fujiwara won the grand prize at an international ceramic exhibition in Barcelona, Spain. He later held exhibitions in the United States and other countries.
Fujiwara received the education minister's award in a national art exhibition in 1990 and was recognized as a living national treasure in 1996.
It was the first time for a ceramic artist to be awarded the status since his father received the honor. Bizen stoneware has been made since at least the Kamakura Period (1192-1333).
Yoritsune Matsudaira, a pioneer composer of Japanese contemporary music, died Thursday in Tokyo due to diabetes, his family said Monday. He was 94.
Matsudaira, a native of Tokyo, was also internationally acclaimed for his technique in fusing traditional elements of Japanese and Western music.
Matsudaira started learning the piano and composition after quitting Keio University. He debuted as a pianist in 1931. His major works include "Bugaku," meaning court dance and music, and "Variations d'apres 3 Mouvements de la Danse Sacree," or variations for the three movements based on a sacred dance.
He received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1972 and was recognized as a person of cultural merit in 1996 for his contribution to Japanese contemporary music.