Born in Sakai, Osaka. After moving to the United States in 1981 and working as a musician, he began pursuing ceramics in earnest in North Carolina in 2003. Using both wood-fired and gas kilns, he creates work ranging from functional vessels to sculptural pieces. In 2013, he opened Gallery Mugen in the River Arts District of Asheville. He has received the top national award for contemporary ceramics from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and his works are held in the permanent collections of the Mint Museum and several other prestigious institutions.