68. Kato Takahiko  加藤隆彦

Kato Takahiko was born in 1952 in Shigaraki, the southwest part of Shiga prefecture. where his father and grandfather were also potters.He studied ceramics at the Kyoto Municipal Industrial Research Institute where he graduated in 1970.  The Shigaraki area, located not far from Kyoto, produces a type of pottery, Shigaraki-yaki that belongs to one of the six ancient kilns in Japan. It is characterized by a unique, natural glaze caused by color variation during the firing of unglazed wares at high temperatures. This results in different shades and patterns (Keshiki, landscape) with great variety that is highly appreciated. Kato Takahiko does not deny his native region, and his work can be counted as Shigaraki-yaki. However, he seeks new forms, setting him apart from the many other producers of Shigaraki yaki. Influential to this search for innovation was his early encounter with Suzuki Osamu, one of the founders of the influential avant-garde Sodeisha group. Suzuki worked in the family studio, and Kato Takahiko assisted him from an early age.  Suzuki Osamu often used Shigaraki clay for his works and taught many aspects of it to Kato Takahiko. But certainly Suzuki's groundbreaking vision toward ceramics as an art form also influenced the work of Kato Takahiko . Extraordinary and progressive design are coupled with the beauty of traditional Shigaraki-yaki, such as the "stone haze" that appears as white particles on the surface of the glass, and the "natural glaze" colored by the melting ashes of firewood.  Kato Takahiko is highly regarded for his great knowledge and skill regarding traditional Shigaraki, which he has studied intensively for many years, and his constant pursuit and search for his own modern creations therein. He has participated in national and international exhibitions, won awards such as the Shumei Culture Foundation Award in 2000 and his work is included in important collections such as the Horvitz Collection.