Ash glaze tea bowl Nishidansei

Width: 13.4cm Depth: 12.8cm Height: 9.0cm

Ash-glazed tea bowl by Nishibata Masashi - Poetry of the earth carved by the ash-covered waterfall

A colorful veil of ash

In this piece, the ash glaze flows down and builds up layers, creating a gradation that shifts from milky white to pale grey, ochre and pale blue. The calcium in the ash melts and combines with the iron and silica in the base to form a yellowish brown or orange "sauce," creating a scene that resembles a vein of ore seeping into the mountainside. The glassy luster unique to the ash glaze covers the fine yuhada (grain-like skin), and depending on the angle from which it is viewed, it shines like wet rock, which is an appealing feature.

Gentle bending creates stillness and movement

The body is engraved with gentle vertical folds, creating shadows that echo the natural flow of ash. The edge is gently wavy, with soft differences in height like the ridges of a mountain range, adding a pleasant variation to the mouthfeel. When held in the palm of the hand, the fingers naturally fall on the unevenness of the folds, perfectly combining a rustic look with ease of use.

The wonder of kiln changes in Tamba ware

Throughout its thousand-year history, the greatest attraction of Tamba ware has been the spectacle of the "natural glaze" created by the fierce flames and fly ash of the climbing kiln. Nishihata Tadashi carefully calculates the position of the kiln load, and deliberately leaves some areas to be left to the flames and ash, thereby bringing out a unique expression that wavers between chance and design. The process in which the ash glaze drips in a columnar shape after a long residence time and cools and hardens again at the end creates a sense of weightiness, as if it were a condensed cliff wall weathered for a thousand years.

Hues and textures that stand out in the tea ceremony

The colorful glaze, with its pale gray-blue and yellowish brown colors, creates a background that highlights the vivid green of the matcha. When light tea is brewed, the fine bubbles reflect off the glassy gray glaze, shining like a water mirror, while when thick tea is brewed, the deep brown water reflects the ochre-colored sauce, evoking the charm of an autumn evening. Another practical consideration is that the thick body slowly transfers heat, leaving a gentle warmth in the palm of your hand even in cold weather.

Zen silence and a hymn to nature

The scenery, achieved without any intentional decoration, using only ash and fire, is reminiscent of the "beauty of randomness" preached by Zen. The bubbles and minute crystals hidden in the ash glaze evoke the breathing of the earth and the footprints of weathering, and evoke a sense of the grand axis of time in a tranquil setting. When this tea bowl is used at a tea ceremony, a meditative space appears in which the mountains, rivers, plants and trees are condensed into a single bowl, bringing a deep aftertaste to the once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

The crystallization of craftsmanship and innovation

Nishihata Tadashi has taken traditional Tanba ash-glazing techniques into consideration, and by devising ways to carve out the base and arrange the kiln load, he has created a three-dimensional shape that emphasizes the "flow" of dripping ash. By highlighting the intersection between the glassy texture of the ash glaze and the roughness of the clay, he has achieved a sculptural impact not seen in conventional Tanba ash-glazed tea bowls.

Texture nurtured by time

The glaze has fine crazing, and the more it is used, the more tea stains it, turning the gray-blue surface a pale brown. The drip marks and ash pools on the bottom also gradually gain a glossy shine, and the way the owner's time is imprinted on the vessel's appearance is one of the joys of tea utensils.

Holding an abstract painting of ash and flame in the palm of your hand, this ash-glazed tea bowl will lead you into a moment of deep meditation during the tea ceremony. Please treasure this unique scene woven by the natural world and human skill for a long time. Sougetsu will further enrich the bowl and continue to carve out a story of Zen silence and hymns to nature.

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