1929 – 2003
male
Born the first son of Kato Hajime, who was named a living national treasure, Kato Tatsumi was raised feeling close to ceramic arts from a young age. He entered the Tokyo Fine Arts School in 1941 after graduating from an industrial craft training facility set up by the Ministry of Education.
He traveled to Europe after graduating, studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1956, and training under Kaj Franck at the Arabia ceramics company. After returning to Japan, he presented works at the Nitten Exhibition and through solo exhibitions while he worked as a teacher at Musashino Art University, where he devoted himself to training the next generation of potters all the way from 1959 to 1998. He received numerous awards during this time, including the Japan Ceramics Associate Award in 1977.
