The World of Nishibata Tadashi
The World of Nishibata Tadashi
A poem of time in the mountains and fire carved into the ware by a master Tamba ware craftsman
Tachikui, in Imada-cho, Tanba Sasayama City, Hyogo Prefecture - the home of Tamba ware, one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns, is a place with over 800 years of history. Born and raised in this climate, nurtured by soil, firewood, and a long history, Nishibata Tadashi is a potter who continues to pursue his own unique beauty while carrying on the traditions.
Born in 1948, Nishibata Tadashi began his career as a potter at Sueharugama, a kiln founded by the first generation potter, Nishibata Tadashi. Since starting to create his work in earnest in 1969, he has been selected and awarded at numerous public exhibitions, including the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition and the Japan Ceramic Art Exhibition, and in 2015 he was awarded the Hyogo Prefecture Cultural Award. While taking root in the soil of Tamba, his expression has quietly but surely spread, and his works are now known to enthusiasts both in Japan and abroad.
At first glance, Nishibata Tadashi's pottery seems to "change the atmosphere." It is powerful yet not violent. It is rough yet somehow pure. Behind the power nurtured by the clay and fire of Tanba lies a refined spirituality.
The power of the design draws in the scenery
When you stand in front of a Nishibata Tadashi piece, the first thing you notice is the "skeleton" of the design. Particularly symbolic is the bold beveling that cuts away the surface of the vessel. The ridges, carved like a polyhedron, catch the light and create shadows, giving the vessel a sense of tension and speed.
These ridges are not merely decorative. As the flames of the wood-fired kiln lick the surface of the pottery, ash falls, melts, flows, and accumulates—they are the very stage on which the "drama" takes place. The transitions between the surfaces, the depressions, the corners, the bulging shoulders... The stronger the shape, the more dramatic the glaze will be.
And strangely enough, despite the powerful shape, the vessel as a whole has a tranquil appearance. Rather than trying to show roughness, the precise contours of the clay allow the vessel to embrace the scenery drawn by the flames. This is the sense of restrained strength.
The essence of Tamba: Ash-covered "natural glaze"
When talking about the appeal of Tamba ware, one thing that cannot be avoided is ash covering. By burning firewood for long periods of time in a climbing kiln, wood ash falls onto the vessel, melts at high temperatures, turns vitrified, and adheres to the vessel's surface as a natural glaze.
The scenery that emerges here is not determined solely by the artist's intentions. The path of the flame, the amount of ash, temperature fluctuations, the location, the composition of the soil - these complex conditions all come together to create a single scenery. In other words, no two pieces are alike. This is why Tanba Yakishime goes beyond being simple pottery and can become "traces of time."
Rather than simply "waiting" for this chance, Nishibata Tadashi invites and embraces it through the design of the shape and firing process, guiding it to completion. His work is like grasping the boundary between chance and necessity with his own hands.
The climate nurtured the skills: The earthen culture of Tamba Tachikui ware
Tamba Tachikui ware is said to have begun in the late Heian period (around the 12th century), and is a production area that has been producing tableware for everyday use for a long time. It is not ornate, but has a simplicity that was born from practicality. However, this simplicity also gives it a new "strength" that transcends the ages.
The potter's wheel, which has been used in Tachikui for a long time, is one of the characteristics that conveys the rhythm of this land. The physical sensation of shaping affects the tension and rise of the vessel, and as a result, Tamba pottery has a somewhat "unwavering center of gravity." I believe the sense of stability felt in Nishibata Tadashi's works resonates with the accumulation of this climate.
The innovation of white: the tension of straw-glazed tea bowls
The straw-glazed tea bowl is a notable example of the Nishibata Tadashi style. When you think of Tamba ware, you might imagine muted colors reminiscent of ash, candy, and iron. However, the straw-glazed tea bowl quietly defies common sense.
There is no room for disguise with white. The thickness of the glaze, the fluctuations of the firing, the unevenness of the clay—everything is revealed. This is why white is so difficult. Nevertheless, Nishibata Tadashi's white has a sense of tension and dignity. It is a white as still as a snowy landscape, yet it retains the warmth of a vessel.
He himself has spoken of his ongoing research into the straw white glaze, changing the blend and firing method. Though it is the same white, each piece exudes a different atmosphere: a soft white like light snow, a white that reflects light, a white with a slight shadow. It is as if we are being taught that white is not a color, but a "state."
Scenery Painted by Flames: Natural Glazed Flower Vase
Nishibata Tadashi's natural glaze works embodied the essence of Tamba. Ash flows and accumulates along the chamfered ridges, sometimes leaving streaks and sometimes spots. What appears on the surface of the vessel is a scene reminiscent of fragments of nature: mountain ridges, morning mist, lingering rain, and layers of fallen leaves.
Just putting a single flower in a vase can slightly change the atmosphere of the space. This is because the vessel itself has a landscape of its own. Rather than just "decorating" the flowers, the flowers and the vessel become inhabitants of the same world. This feeling can be found in Nishibata Tadashi's flower vases.
The charm of Tanba red clay: The soil itself begins to speak
Another thing not to be missed is the expression of the red clay of Tamba. The clay contains iron, and when fired it takes on a reddish-brown color, which comes into contact with the ash and glaze, creating a soft contrast. By leaving the clay surface uncovered rather than completely covering it with glaze, the breath of the material comes to the forefront.
Clay is a material that contains a lot of information. Grain, texture, firing, roughness, temperature. Nishibata Tadashi's red clay works seem to carefully organize this amount of information and transform it into the beauty of vessels. Although they are unadorned, they never end up being simple. The taste of the clay itself gives the sculpture its strength.
A quiet spirituality woven together by nature and tradition
Nishibata Tadashi's work conveys the preciousness of "communicating with nature and playing with tradition." He entrusts himself to the great forces of earth, ash, and fire, and embraces the scenery with his will to create. The result is an "atmosphere" that transcends matter.
When you pick up a tea bowl, the warmth of the clay remains in your palm. When you gaze upon a landscape, the layers of time become visible. When you place flowers in a vase, the flowers become integrated into the scenery of the vessel. Nishibata Tadashi's vessels are vessels that refine "your senses" the more you use them.
If you feel something in the text, please also take a look at the photographs of the works. While some things can be conveyed through photographs, the weight of the clay, the depth of the glaze, the rising ridges - the "sense of reality" becomes even clearer when you touch the actual piece. Amagimichi will be introducing Nishibata Tadashi's works from time to time. Why not incorporate one-of-a-kind pieces born from the clay and fire of Tamba into your life or tea ceremony?
A conversation with Tadashi Nishibata – High-end pottery specialty store [Amagimichi]
Nishitansho – High-quality pottery specialty store [Amagi Road]