Takahiro Koga 古贺崇洋

Born and raised in Fukuoka, Takahiro Koga refined his craft within Kyushu's deep ceramic traditions. His artistic practice moves between two distinct aesthetics: Karatsu ware and Arita ware. The former known for its rugged texture and earthy tones, the latter the complete opposite, bright, smooth, and delicate. He insists on creating in studios located in Fukuoka and Kagoshima, aiming to protect regional cultural expression through local production against the backdrop of Japan’s rural population decline.

Grounded in centuries-old techniques, Koga deftly fuses bold innovation into his practice, producing a striking beauty of contrasts. He creates wearable ceramics, spiked maneki-neko and daruma, and anything that can “give new ideas a concrete form.” Each of Koga’s works begins with a traditional object, yet ultimately arrives in a “punk samurai” form. His “Neo Maneki-neko” and “Neo Daruma” are among the clearest embodiments of his signature idea: adding spikes.