Shigetaka is the son of the famous Mino master Kato Tokuro (1898-1985) with whom he studied and younger brother of the potter Okabe Mineo (1919-1990). He was born in Seto, Aichi Prefecture and lives in Nagoya. A winner of the prestigious Japan Ceramic Society prize, Shigetaka has a long record of exhibitions in Japan. Among his major works are more than thirty ceramic walls designed for building exteriors and lobbies. For more information about the artist see Frederick Baekeland and Robert Moes, Modern Japanese Ceramics in American Collections, exh. cat., (New York: Japan Society, Inc., 1993), p. 148 and cover illustration.