Straw white glazed sake cup by Masashi Nishibata

Width: 9cm Depth: 9cm Height: 6cm

Straw white glaze sake cup by Nishibata Masashi - A small sake cup that reflects the sound of a stream bubbling in a snow-melting valley.

This piece, created by Nishibata Tadashi, has a soft milky white color from the straw white glaze, which is mainly made from straw ash, and combines with the iron-rich Tanba clay to create a fascinating landscape reminiscent of a river appearing on the surface of snow. The traces of the thick glaze slowly running down the side wall are like frozen snow melting in early spring running down the ground, giving the surface a dynamic rhythm and depth.

Form: A sculptural form that leaves a trace of your fingertips

The body is based on eight chamfered edges, and each edge sways slightly inwards and outwards, creating shadows that change with the way the light hits it. In addition, thick glaze accumulates along the joints of the chamfer, creating a three-dimensional accent reminiscent of an overhanging snow cornice. The rim sways gently like a wave, and the nuances of the mouthfeel change depending on where your lips place it, adding a playful touch to any gesture involving drinking.

Colors and textures created by clay and glaze

The base is made from rough clay from Tanba, and the reddish-brown surface peeks through the thin glaze, infusing the milky serenity with a warm breath of life. The iron appears as dark brown specks, evoking a natural feel like the shade of rocks or trees left in a marsh after melting snow. Fine crazing is present in the glaze layer, and over the years of use, sake and hand oils soak into the glaze, allowing you to enjoy the process of it maturing from white to pale gray.

Functional beauty as a sake cup

The small size is perfect for a single sip of sake, and the slightly wider opening allows the aroma to softly linger inside the cup. The thinly carved rim gently touches the tip of the tongue, allowing the poured sake to flow smoothly. The bottom has no raised base, and the eight-sided chamfered center naturally rises, so it fits snugly in the palm of your hand and can be used steadily with one hand.

The nexus of tradition and modernity

Straw white glaze is a classic material associated with Shino and Haikamo ware of the Momoyama period, but this work strongly presents a modern sense of design with its sculptural form with protrusions and bold glaze flow. Nishibata Tadashi respects the "improvisation of earth and fire" and, while refraining from deliberate decoration, he has fixed a unique scene on the surface of the vessel by making the most of chance.

Silence and dynamism in the palm of your hand

The tranquility of the milky white and the movement of the flowing glaze, the warmth of the red clay and the coldness of the iron spots - these opposing elements come into harmony within a single cup, bringing a quiet tension and a warm aftertaste to a drinking party. If you pour cold sake, the contrast between black and white will stand out on the surface, and if you pour hot sake, the milky white glaze will become slightly hazy, creating a scene like steam floating in a snowy landscape.

Nishibata Tadashi's straw white glaze sake cup is a small universe that fits in the palm of your hand, conveying the poetry of nature woven by earth and fire. The more you use it, the deeper the scenery becomes, and it is a vessel that carries your own story, so please treasure it for a long time.

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