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Fuminori Fukami: Figures and a Dragon on a Manga Oribe Plate
Updated: Oct 28
A ceramic plate with the energy of a picture
A broad black rim surrounds a lively orange field. Two comic-style figures occupy different parts of the composition, while a green dragon curves across the left and lower sections. Flowers, loops, zigzags and a large spiral fill the spaces between them. Our handling record identifies the work as 黒漫画織部大皿, a large Manga Oribe plate by Fuminori Fukami.
Its immediate attraction is the confidence of the contrast: warm orange against green, fine drawn lines against a broad dark border, and recognisable figures among decorative shapes. There is plenty to discover, yet the circular setting gives the image a clear overall shape. The plate can be enjoyed as a complete composition before we begin to follow its details.
A drawing that keeps the eye moving
The figures appear at different scales. The larger one reaches towards the viewer from the right, while the smaller one is placed above. Their poses create several directions of movement. The dragon adds another route, its scaled body bending along the lower edge of the coloured centre. A large spiral at the upper right draws attention inward and sets up another turning motion.
Part of the pleasure is how these routes overlap. The eye can move from the dragon’s long curves to the tighter loops of the spiral, or pause on pale petals and small geometric shapes. These details give the crowded composition changes of pace. Looking longer reveals an arrangement of connections, rather than simply a collection of separate images.
The black rim does more than frame
The broad rim gives the bright centre room to stand out. Small highlights catch its uneven texture, creating a very different surface from the drawn lines inside. This contrast is central to the plate’s appeal. The image asks us to read figures and follow a scene; the rim brings attention back to the object’s curved edge and physical surface.
That meeting of picture and vessel makes the work especially engaging. The circular ceramic form actively shapes how the imagery is seen. The dragon follows its lower curve, while the dark border gathers the many small details into one field.
Fuminori Fukami and Manga Oribe
Fukami was born in Seto in 1980, according to the gallery Bunkindo. In a 2023 interview published by Matsuzakaya Nagoya, he described an interest in ukiyo-e that developed through studies of Hokusai Manga towards anime characters. His account gives a wider context for the graphic imagination associated with Manga Oribe. On this plate, that energy is visible in the changing scales, emphatic poses and winding lines.
Look again: begin at the dragon, then start again at the spiral. Which route makes you notice a detail you missed before?
A work we have handled, shown for reference.
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