Yoshio Nishihata (b. 1958), realizing that the assembly-line production system of Japanese lacquering resulted in works lacking in heart and soul, decided to create his works with a single, integrated method; from kiji, the base material before lacquer application, until the finishing of the lacquer ware.
Handling the potter’s wheel with mastery, Nishihata goes through the entire production process by himself. An artisan such as Nishihata can be considered a rarity in present Japan.
Nishihata’s works convey his pursuit of ultimate beauty; durable and suited for everyday use, and with a high quality finish highlighting its refined elegance. It can thus be said that Nishihata’s lacquer ware epitomizes beauty within utility.
As an ardent support of traditional arts, Nishihata continues to perfect the art of creating tsuzumi drum core, used in classic theater and other Japanese arts.
Selected Biography:
1958 Born in Wajima City, Ishikawa prefecture
1976 Apprenticed under master Kiyoto Ozaki.
1980 Selected for the Japan Tradition Art Craft Exhibition (6 times total)
1983 Officially became a member of the Japan Art Craft Society
1993 He has held solo exhibitions mainly at Kamigata Ginka (Osaka) and Ippodo Gallery (Tokyo), continuing to the present.
2008 Recognized as a member of Wajima-nuri Technique Preservation Society
