If Tsuji's Kyo's (1930-2008) essential Japanese-ness is rooted in her Shigaraki clay and wood fire, the decorative artist Matsuda Yuriko (b. 1943) connects with her Japanese roots through a unique take on the perennial and iconic Japanese theme of the view of Mount Fuji. This whimsical and contemporary interpretation of the iconic mountain, Fuji, is shrouded in seasonal change. On one face, she paints a spring scene, with a river connecting between a grove of cherry blossoms and a lush, green, summer sequence. The mountain’s body is gilded in gold, accenting the symbolic shape of the mountain. With these works, she has brought painting into three-dimensions, creating hybrid ceramic paintings that are entirely unique. Like a traditional scroll, she generously accents her work with gold backgrounds, lending them an inherent inner glow. Her use of familiar subjects has a transformative effect: though we know that this is Mount Fuji, it is unlike any depiction of the scene we have ever experienced. This strange quality pulls the viewer into the piece, demanding further investigation. Matsuda has been named one of the best 150 artists working in Japan by a noted ceramic arts publishing company for her deeply original work that celebrates an essential zest for the landscape of everyday life.