Douglas Black is an American artist based in Japan. He built his studio in the district of the traditional pottery town of Mashiko in 1992, where he has established himself as a ceramic artist locally and internationally with over thirty solo exhibitions, seventy member exhibitions, and twenty overseas symposia. In 2017, his ceramic art was awarded the Grand Prix in both Tokyo and France. He was provided a studio in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur to produce works for a solo exhibition at the Maison de la Céramique Terra Rossa. As a member of the board of directors for the NPO, Mashiko Ceramics and Arts Association (MCAA), Douglas has helped to initiate, direct, and organize exchanges, bringing artists from abroad to Mashiko while introducing many local ceramists to participate overseas.

His works embrace both function and wonder, celebrating the cultures mindful appreciation for the presentation of food, spirits, tea, and our flower friends, while his sculptures explore the ceramic palette, ground to the planet and reaching to the stars like those before us. Other works include installations of various mediums. In the triennial, HIJISAI, an earth festa that coincides with the harvest moon and living with the earth, Black created the outdoor solar installation, ‘Under One Sky’, in 2015, ‘Remember the Future’, in 2018, and on ancient temple grounds in 2021, ‘All Are One’.

Andrew J. Gemrich is a ceramic artist originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who has lived and worked in Motegi, Japan since 1993. He studied at Waseda University in Tokyo (1988-89) and earned his B.A. from Kalamazoo College in 1990. During his time at Waseda University he was first exposed to Japanese ceramics. After moving to Mashiko, Japan—the renowned pottery town—he apprenticed under master potter Shunji Chikaraishi (1994-95) before establishing his wood-fired kiln and Gemrich Ceramic Studio in 1996. Gemrich’s work is rooted in Japanese functional ceramics. Using locally self sourced materials and natural ash glazes, his work incorporates influences from both his Japanese experience and his midwestern upbringing. He has experience with wood, gas and salt kilns.

Gemrich has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including the prestigious Shoji Hamada Prize (Grand Prize) at the 1996 Mashiko Ceramic Competition, and multiple Festival Prizes in Ink Painting at the Mashiko Culture Festival (2017, 2022, 2025). He has exhibited extensively across Asia, Europe, and North America, with solo shows in Tokyo, Fukushima, Mashiko, and Utsunomiya, as well as group exhibitions in South Korea, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States.
Beyond his artistic practice, Gemrich has been deeply involved in ceramic arts organizations, serving on the Board of Directors for the Mashiko Ceramics and Arts Association (MCAA) since 2011 and as Chairman from 2019-2025. His international projects include the Khmer Pottery Restoration Project in Cambodia (2015), the Hamada Shoji Noborigama Revival Project (2015, 2018, 2026), and coordinating the Mashiko-St. Ives 100th Anniversary Monument (2021). He has been an instructor of ceramics at Tochigi Prefectural Mashiko Hosei High School and has given lectures at institutions including the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and Taipei National Education University.

Yoshiji Z. Onuki is a Japanese ceramic artist born in 1953 in Suginami, Tokyo. After graduating from Jiyu Gakuen Tokyo in 1975 and working briefly at ArtMagazine, he moved to Mashiko in 1977—a renowned pottery region—and began ceramic study at Tsukamoto Ceramics Company. He established his own wood-fired kiln in 1981, where he continues to work independently.

Onuki creates sculptural and functional work in porcelain and stoneware. He has maintained an active exhibition career spanning over three decades, with solo shows at galleries across Japan including Tokyo (Gallery Binro, Matsuya Art Gallery, Gallery Shun, Gallery M’s), as well as international exhibitions in Germany (Berlin, Hochheim, Leipzig), Korea (Seoul), the USA (Portland), Turkey (Olympos), and China (Jingdezhen, Shenzhen). His works are held in public collections including the Grassi Museum in Leipzig, the Ceramic Museum in Berlin, and Jingdezhen China Ceramics Museum.