Mr. Yu Nishioka was born in 1977 in Chiba Prefecture. After he has graduated from Ceramics Vocational Training Institute of Aichi Prefecture, he apprenticed under Ceramic Artist Mr. Goro Suzuki. He established his independent practice in Ena, Gifu Prefecture in 2014. In 2019, he constructed a wood-fired toen-shiki (down-draft) kiln. Mr. Nishioka pursues the unique charm of Mino ware, including seeking out and digging Mino clay himself. He focuses especially on expressing the texture of Ki-Seto, characterized by a subdued luster called aburage-hada (literally, “fried tofu skin”). The finished texture which looks as if it has been slowly baked and browned is very tasteful.