Kato Takuo (1917-2005), I am sure, requires no introduction. He was born in Tajimi, center of the Mino ceramic tradition the son of Kato Kobei. Trained in ceramics at the Tajimi Technical School as well as under his father. He entered military service in 1938, and served until wars end. He then contracted leukemia, and spent another ten years fighting for his life. He debuted at the Nitten National Exhibition in 1956, and was soon accepted and consistently displayed at any number of National and International Exhibitions. In 1980 he was commissioned by the Imperial Household Agency to produce a restoration of the Shosoin Three Color Glaze. In 1991 he received the JCS (Japan Ceramic Society) prize, one of the most important honors for a potter. He was named a Living National Treasure in 1995 for his work in Sansai glazes.