Straw white glaze tea bowl Nishidansei

Width: 14.8cm Depth: 15.8cm Height: 10.2cm

Straw white glaze tea bowl by Nishibata Masashi - The six small peaks towering over Yukino

An architectural form created by six ridges

This piece is based on a square shape, but its main feature is the three-dimensional shape with six vertical ridges on the outer wall. The ridges are not sharp and are connected by gentle curves, so it is both visually neat and soft to the touch. As you turn the bowl, light and shadow alternate, and under the quiet lighting of the tea ceremony, shadows reminiscent of a series of small peaks standing in a snowy field emerge.

The depth of the straw-white glaze is reminiscent of pure snow

The straw white glaze that covers the entire piece has a pure white texture like freshly fallen snow. The iron contained in the straw ash crystallizes black due to the action of the fire, scattering ink-colored spots on the white background, creating a depth and rhythm that is difficult to achieve with a single color. The glaze layer has subtle fine crazing, and as it is used repeatedly, the tea color seeps in, creating a scene that resembles a pale shadow cast on the snowy surface.

The contrast between rustic charm and tranquility shown by Tanba clay

The base is made of rough clay from Tanba, which is rich in iron, and reddish brown particles peek through the thin parts of the glaze, giving a warm breath to the serenity of the white glaze. A light pool of glaze can be seen at the bottom, adding a rich expression that seems to condense the moment when the glaze and clay melt together at high temperature.

Functional beauty that accompanies the tea ceremony

The rim is slightly wavy like ripples, making it soft and smooth to the touch. The inside of the bowl has a relaxed flat surface and a rounded corner, which naturally guides the movement of the whisk. The base is cut low, ensuring stability on the table while giving the bowl a light look.

A fusion of tradition and innovation

This work, which combines the classic material of straw white glaze with a modern form with architectural ridges, is a bowl in which Nishibata Tadashi presents a vision of the future of Tamba ware. From his approach to discovering the various expressions spun by the earth and fire within the minimal color of white, we can see the spirit of the artist, who is always seeking innovation while still being based on tradition.

This straw white-glazed tea bowl reflects both the silence of the snowy fields and the breathing of the earth. If you hold it in your palm and make tea while gazing at the ridgelines on all four sides, an infinite story of black and white, stillness and movement will unfold. Please treasure it for a long time and enjoy the process of the crazing and speckled patterns developing.

Masashi Nishibata Biography

Born on February 24, 1948. Started making pottery in 1969. 1976. Hyogo Prefectural Exhibition Encouragement Award. 1986. Selected for the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition for the first time. 1988. Selected for the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Japan Crafts Association President's Award. 1989. Selected for the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, Handon no Kai, Nogawa Memorial Award. 1991. Selected for the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Selected for the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Forms Exhibition. 1992. Selected for the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Tea Ceremony Forms Exhibition, Excellence Award, Hyogo Prefecture Emerging Artist Encouragement Award. Invited to exhibit at the NHK-sponsored Paris-Japanese Ceramics Now 100 Selections, Excellence Award at the Tea Ceremony Forms Exhibition. 1993. Selected for the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Solo Exhibition at Sogo Hiroshima Store, Kyoto Chemin. 1994. Selected for the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Solo Exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store. 1995. Selected for the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition, Solo Exhibition at Sogo Hiroshima Store. 1996. Selected for the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition. Awarded the Excellence Award at the Tea Ceremony Art Exhibition, solo exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store
1997 Encouragement Award at the Tea Ceremony Art Exhibition 1998 Selected for the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition Solo exhibition at Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Selected for the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition 2000 Solo exhibition at Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Solo exhibition at Mitsukoshi Fukuoka 2001 Selected for the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition at Gallery Dojima 2002 Solo exhibition at Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi Solo exhibition at Gallery Dojima 2003 Solo exhibition at Santa Fe Touchingston, USA 2004 Father and son exhibition at Sogo Hiroshima store Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Art Exhibition 2005 Exhibited at Akashi City Museum of Culture and Hyogo Ceramics Exhibition Purchased Akadobedai, Hyogo Ceramic Art Museum Solo exhibition at Gallery Dojima Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi 2006 Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Art Exhibition Selected for the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Japan Society Gallery of New York Solo exhibition at Takashimaya Yokohama Touchingston, USA Father and son exhibition at Takashimaya Matsuyama 2007 Toshun-kai Exhibition, Sogo Yokohama Encouragement Award at the Tea Ceremony Art Exhibition Selected for the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition 2008 Selected for the Japanese Traditional Crafts Exhibition Solo Exhibition, Yokohama Takashimaya Mitsukoshi Main Store, Santa Fe, Touchingston, USA Toshun-kai Exhibition, Funabashi Seibu Sogo Hiroshima Invited to exhibit at the Japanese Ceramics Exhibition 2009 Solo Exhibition, Gallery Dojima, Sendai Mitsukoshi 2010 Sogo Kobe Exhibited at the Musee Tomo Grand Prize Exhibition, Contemporary Tea Solo Exhibition, Yokohama Takashimaya Touchingston, USA, Santa Fe, 2011 Invited to exhibit at the Japanese Ceramics Exhibition Solo Exhibition, Joan B. Marvis, New York, USA Invited to exhibit at the Japanese Ceramics Exhibition 2013 Exhibited at the Musee Tomo "Contemporary Famous Bowls" Solo Exhibition, Mitsukoshi Main Store, Santa Fe, USA Miyazaki Gallery, Sogo Kobe Chiba Sogo 2014 Solo Exhibition Solo Exhibition, Mitsukoshi Main Store, Santa Fe, USA 2015 Received the Hyogo Prefecture Cultural Award in 2016. Exhibited at Higashihiroshima City Museum of Art for Ceramics that Color Our Lives - Food Wares. Exhibited at Joan B. Marvis' 40th Anniversary Exhibition in 2017.
Solo Exhibition at Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi Main Store in 2018

A conversation with Masashi Nishibata