Featured Tea Bowls by

Tadashi Nishihata　西端正 　& 　Taibi Nishihata　西端大備

Tadashi Nishihata (b. 1948), one of the most respected Tanba potters of this generation, has exhibited in Touching Stone Gallery for more than a decade. In 2010, tragedy struck the family, their only son and intended heir of the family Taibi Nishihata (1976-2010) passed away unexpectedly. As a tribute to this extraordinarily gifted family, we are honored to show a collection of exquisite tea bowls by both Tadashi and Taibi Nishihata.

The unique finishes used on these tea bowls were developed by the elder Nishihata over the past 30 years. The dramatic snow-white-and-turquoise Haiyu finish on his Tea Bowl No.02 was made from ashes of the rice plant. Mixed with ashes from different types of wood, it can produce a variety of unique effects, as exemplified by his Tea Bowl No.01. The beautiful Akadobe-yu (red clay glaze) was a historic finish used by Tanba potters in the early Edo period (1603 – 1867). The method for creating it was lost for almost four hundred years, until Tadashi Nishihata successfully re-created it in 2001. He gained wide recognition not only for these accomplishments, but also for his generosity in sharing his hard-earned knowledge with all his peers. Nishihata was awarded the Grand Prize of the Chanoyu Zokei Ten Exhibition sponsored by the Tanabe Museum of Art three times, thus becoming the only artist who has ever been bestowed with this prestigious award three times and twice in consecutive years. The Akadobe-yu finish can be used to create interesting patterns and decorations, as in Tadashi Nishihata's Tea Bowl No.03 and Taibi's Tea Bowl No.02. In addition to the Haiyu and Akadobe-yu finishes, Taibi also used a white clay indigenous to Tanba to create his elegant Tea Bowl No.01.

Click on images to view selected pieces

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