Exact dates unknown. Believed to be from Nonomura in Tanba Province (present-day Funai-gun, Kyoto Prefecture), hence the surname "Nonomura." After training in ceramics at Awataguchi in Kyoto and in Mino-Seto, he opened a kiln before Ninna-ji in Kyoto, taking the name "Ninsei" — combining "Nin" from Ninna-ji with "Sei" from his given name Seibei. Under the guidance of Kanamori Sowa, who deeply understood the aesthetics of tea ceremony, he pursued the creation of dignified ceramics for use in tea. He researched and perfected the overglaze enamel (iroe) technique that had not previously existed in Kyoto ware, producing a succession of gorgeous iroe ceramics deploying gold and silver pigments. His style became a model for later potters as "Ninsei copies," dramatically elevating the standard of Kyoto ware. Many of his works, including the National Treasure "Iroe Fujibana-mon Chatsuba," are still designated as Important Cultural Properties and National Treasures today.

A craftsman-artist with superb technical skill and brilliant aesthetic sense, fusing the dignity sought by tea practitioners with decorative beauty at the highest level.

His overglaze techniques were inherited by disciples including Ogata Kenzan, establishing the foundation of Kyoto ware. The National Treasure "Wisteria Tea Jar" is internationally renowned as a treasure of Japanese ceramics.