Takashi Tanaka, like many ceramists, faces fire and earth and controls them to create work. He is most interested in the relationship between nature and humans and the “beauty of utility”. By blending traditional techniques with contemporary vision, Tanaka seeks to highlight ceramics as a mode of transmitting and evolving culture. Born in 1970 and receiving his MFA from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1997, Tanaka is an instructor as well as studio artist. When beginning to make work, he was making larger objects until his discovery of the tea ceremony. He then transitioned to an anagama kiln and currently creates tools and objects relating to the tea ceremony from his studio in Fujioka City, Gunma Prefecture. He has continued teaching and is an Adjunct Instructor at Shinshu University Graduate School of Education. His work is in many public and private collections around the world and can be seen in many galleries both in Japan and internationally.