A ceramic artist from Shigaraki, Japan. After graduating from Doshisha University with a degree in applied chemistry, he trained at a kiln in Shigaraki. Since 2005, he has served as director of STARworks Ceramics in North Carolina, USA, leading a clay production project using locally sourced wild clay. Together with his wife Hitomi, he runs a studio in Seagrove, creating functional pottery and sculptural works using local wild clay and wood-firing. He is a member of the International Academy of Ceramics (IAC).