Red Fuji Sake Cup by Nishida Masashi

Width: 8.6cm Depth: 7.4cm Height: 5.6cm

Red Fuji Sake Cup by Tadashi Nishibata

- Glaze falls on the red soil peaks, a sacred mountain in the palm of your hand

This "Red Fuji Sake Cup" is a masterpiece among the works of Nishibata Tadashi, with a particularly poetic harmony of shape and color. The powerful color of the red clay and the scene created by the glaze that pours over it are filled with majesty and beauty that is truly worthy of the name "Red Fuji."

The presence of the earth created by red soil

The iron-rich red clay peculiar to Tanba is boldly exposed on the body of the sake cup, giving it the appearance of a mountainside dyed in the setting sun. The lustrous red color developed by the firing process is not just a color, but stands as a "memory of heat and pressure," giving a sense of the vitality of the clay itself.

A scene of white glaze falling

The white glaze applied to the top of the red clay flows naturally, crystallizing as it settles on the surface of the vessel, creating a sense of tranquility as if the peaks were covered in mist or snow. The graininess of the glaze and the sparkle of the surface change subtly depending on the amount of light, revealing a new landscape every time you look at it. The dramatic contrast between red and white creates the feel of a landscape painting in the palm of your hand.

Poetry that fits in the palm of your hand

This sake cup has a shape that fits naturally in your fingers when you hold it in your hand, and the wavy rim and rounded body perfectly achieve both practicality and aesthetic beauty. It is smooth to the touch, and when you pour sake into it, the glaze on the inside shines brighter, revealing a new expression in the sake cup.

The symbolism behind the name Red Fuji

The name "Red Fuji" does not just refer to the contrast of colors, but also expresses the ancient Japanese reverence for mountains and respect for the majesty of nature. In Nishibata's hands, this vessel goes beyond being a simple sake vessel and is elevated to a symbolic work of art.

This "Red Fuji Sake Cup" is a "sacred mountain in the palm of your hand," made up of the red clay of Tanba, glaze, flames, and the artist's sensibility. Its expression changes every time you use it, and it will give you a quiet sense of excitement along with the joy of owning it.

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