NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Horizontally elongated, thickly walled vessel with pointed ends and diagonally carved bands, covered in dripping Tamba ash glaze
2018
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
10 5/8 x 22 1/4 x 13 3/4 in.
Inv# 11074
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Tubular vase with flattened mouth, covered with a Tamba ash glaze
2018
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
15 3/4 x 8 1/8 x 6 1/4 in.
Inv# 11075
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Large vessel with diagonally carved bands covered in a thick, dripping Tamba ash glaze
2018
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
16 1/4 x 15 3/8 x 13 3/4 in.
Inv# 11073
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Round neriage (marbleized) vase with small mouth, striated surface patterning and ash glaze
2018
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
12 5/8 x 14 1/2 in.
Inv# 11076
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Vessel with two oblong concave sections, four short feet all covered with a thick Tamba ash glaze
2018
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
7 x 29 1/2 x 14 1/2 in.
Inv# 11078
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Flattened standing vessel with slightly slanted sides, covered with dripping Tamba ash glaze
2018
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
15 3/8 x 11 3/4 x 3 1/2 in.
Inv# 11077
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Straight-sided teabowl, covered with white Tamba-style kairagi (crawling) glaze and abstract linear pattern in iron glaze
2018
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
4 x 4 3/4 in.
Inv# 11079
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Faceted waterjar with lid with knob handle, all covered with natural Tamba ash glaze
2019
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
5 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in.
Inv# 11263
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Straight-sided Tamba teabowl, covered with akadobe (red slip glaze with iron)
2019
Akadobe-glazed stoneware
4 1/8 x 4 3/4 x 4 5/8 in.
Inv# 11080
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Round Tamba teabowl with irregular mouth, covered with akadobe (red slip glaze with iron)
2019
Akadobe-glazed stoneware
3 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.
Inv# 11081
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Round slightly conical waterjar, covered with Tamba ash glaze and matching lid with knob handle
2019
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
7 x 11 3/4 x 9 in.
Inv# 11082
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Round neriage (marbleized) vessel with diagonal striation pattern, covered with Tamba ash glaze
2019
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
11 1/4 x 10 7/8 in.
Inv# 11266
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Water jar with foliated rim, recessed mouth and matching cover with knob handle, all covered with Tamba ash glaze
2019
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
6 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 8 7/8 in.
Inv# 11262
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Round teabowl with irregular mouth, covered with Tamba glaze
2019
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
4 x 5 x 5 1/4 in.
Inv# 11264
NISHIHATA TADASHI (b. 1948)
Thickly walled vessel with diagonally carved bands covered in Tamba ash glaze
2019
Tamba ash-glazed stoneware
13 3/8 x 12 1/4 x 12 3/8 in.
Inv# 11265
A native of the centuries-old Japanese ceramic region, Tachikui, NISHIHATA Tadashi (b.1948) comes from a lineage of distinguished artists stretching back to the eighteenth century. Tamba, one of the six ancient Japanese kiln sites, is famous for simple and austere functional ceramics made from iron-rich local clay and covered in natural ash glazes. Nishihata creates works that reflect not only his mastery of the region's techniques but also his keen sense of modern aesthetics.
After decades of experimentation, Nishihata first won acclaim in Japan for his reinvention of akadobe slip-glazing, a Momoyama era (1573-1615) technique for creating deep brick-red surfaces through an application of mud before a prolonged wood firing. Further, his inventive use of a signature blue-green ash-glaze (haiyū) on diagonally faceted surfaces has proven to be equally captivating. Using this glaze and body combination allows him both to reference the natural world and create a strikingly modern vessel. Often, he punctuates the surface patterning with an additional iron-oxide glaze. These thick glazes cascading down the often-rounded triangular vessels call to mind waterfalls or snowfall on a mountain slope. Nishihata says of this unique approach:
"With my ceramics, I strive to evoke flowing water, mountain ridges or forests of trees while always bearing in mind which shapes will bring out the allure of the clay itself."
NISHIHATA TADASHI
After a decade of winning prizes for his powerful vessels, Nishihata was presented in 2016, the Award of Cultural Merit (Bunkashō) by Hyogo Prefecture. His lushly glazed ceramics are exhibited internationally and have found homes in numerous museum collections including the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Museum of Fine Arts Boston; Minneapolis Institute of Art; and British Museum.
Joan B Mirviss LTD is delighted to present our second solo exhibition with this gifted clay artist. Surpassing Tradition: Redefining Tamba opens on November 5 and runs through December 20, 2019 and will feature fifteen new masterworks, all showcasing his innovative use of traditional Tamba-style glazes.
Joan B. Mirviss has been a distinguished expert in Japanese art, specializing in fine art and ceramics for more than forty years. She is the leading Western dealer in the field of modern and contemporary Japanese ceramics, and from her New York gallery on Madison Avenue, JOAN B MIRVISS LTD exclusively represents the top Japanese clay artists. As a widely published and highly respected specialist in her field, Mirviss has advised and built collections for many museums, major private collectors, and corporations.
For further information and high-resolution images, please contact the gallery director at 212-799-4021 or via director@mirviss.com.
