Shuhei Fujioka
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This article is about Shuhei Fujioka, master sculptor of porcelain figurines.
- For Shuhei Fujioka, the Iga potter, see Shuhei Fujioka (Iga pottery).
- For Shuhei Fujisawa, the Japanese author, see Shuhei Fujisawa.
| Shuhei Fujioka | |
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 Promotional photo ca. 2003
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| Born | Dec 1950 Nagoya, Japan  |
| Occupation | Master Sculptor |
Shuhei Fujioka (藤岡周平 ふじおか しゅうへい), born 1950 in Nagoya, Japan, is a sculptor famous for his work on Precious Moments porcelain figurines.
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[edit] General
Shuhei Fujioka is the son of Yasuhei Fujioka, the first "master sculptor" that brought life to Precious Moments as porcelain figurines. Since he was young, Shuhei learned the business and how to sculpt under his father. Shuhei took over the business from his father and became the second generation master sculptor during the early 1990's.
A popular misconception is that Shuhei's name is directly descended from his father's name, Yasuhei. Because of this, many fans call his father, "Yashuhei" with an extra "H", but in fact, the only Japanese characters that coincide is for the "hei" part.
Currently, Shuhei trains younger artists in Nagoya and Chicago. If asked where he mostly resides, he will answer, "in the plane", as Shuhei travels extensively between Asia and the US amongst the studios, factories, and retail stores.
Shuhei Fujioka is also the master sculptor for his own line of products under the name of Preious Memory.
[edit] Precious Memory
The company Precious Memory, Inc. was founded in the late 1990's to answer to the needs of a distributor in Japan for Precious Moments products. The then president and CEO of Enesco, Corp., Eugene Freedman, was a long time business partner and friend for both Shuhei and his father. At his request, Shuhei took on the responsibilities of distributorship in Japan.
As encouragement, Enesco allowed Shuhei and his studios to sculpt a series of "Japan Exclusive" figurines. The products were scrutinized and blessed with inspirational titles by Sam Butcher. Enesco decided to let Precious Memory exclusively market these products for the first six months after introduction, then the products were to be available world wide. As the Enesco era came to a close in 2005, these items were "retired".
In the first decade of the 2000's, Shuhei also created his own line of products. As evident in the flagship products, Memories In Eternity, these products celebrated Japanese history and culture. Also, other product lines were introduced under the Precious Memory brand that touched on common Asian cultures, like the Chinese zodiacs.
Precious Memory and the studios have also pioneered new methods to apply glass to bisque ceramic, and also created the Natural Jade Glaze for their Yashiroyama-gama high-end tea ceremony vessels.
Product lines under the Precious Memory brand:
- Berry Bear
- Childrens' World
- Coral Dreams
- Fu-fu
- Girlhood Tales
- Glorious Angels
- Heavenly Dreams
- Innocent World
- Lai-fu
- Memories In Eternity
- Folk Dances of Japan
- Folk Tales of Japan
- Memories of Paradise
- Polly & Tommy
- Sugar Maple
- Timeless Memories
- Yashiroyama-gama
[edit] Resource
- Fujioka, Shinsuke. Interview. Nov. 19, 2006.
- Precious Memory, Inc. et. al. "Shuhei Fujioka:Master Sculptor" billboard. ca. 2004.
- Precious Memory, Inc. et. al. 2006 brochure. ca. 2006.
[edit] External link
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