Born in 1976, Hata Shunsai III is a metalwork artist whose family has been rooted in Kanaya-machi for generations. Known for its exceptional metal ware crafts, Kanaya-machi is a district in Takaoka City, and is the birthplace of Takaoka metal-casting. To this day, some of the best metal artists including Living National Treasures, hail from this area. Hata has carried on his family’s tradition of making teakettles, observing his father at work since his youth. He says, “I select water as my main theme, and I create designs that give an impression of transparency so that the viewer becomes unaware of the underlying iron; I make it a policy to create works unique to myself, by incorporating contemporary elements while maintaining time-honored traditions.” Among the several awards that he has received are the NHK Chairman’s Award at the 60th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition in 2013 and the Sekido Museum Prize at the Japanese Metalwork Exhibition in 2018.
Selected Exhibitions
2015–2018 Asia Week | New York
2017 The 64th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition, Japan
2015 Modern Crafts and the Tea Ceremony, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan | The Best of Toyama: Kōgei Art and Design from Japan, Onishi Gallery, New York
2013 From Crafts to Kōgei: In Commemoration of the 60th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition, From Crafts to Kōgei: In Commemoration of the 60th Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition