1848 – 1903
male
seto porcelain
Kato Shubei was born the first son of first-generation Kato Shubei (business name: Haku-undo, ‘white cloud hall’), a potter who began making dyed Seto ware from around the end of the Edo period. In 1877, he inherited the household and took on the title Shubei II.
While his father made blue and white ceramics, Shubei II received high praises from the Morimura Group (presently NORITAKE), and began producing ceramics for export overseas. Working exclusively with Morimura, he left behind wonderful pieces of Western-style tableware, which were characterized by their detailed art linework on thin materials. For the artwork, he enlisted the help of famous ceramic painters of the day, such as Oshima Kajo.
In 1894, he assumed the position of director at the Gonikai Seto Branch, and in 1897 he established a ceramics export company together with Kato Mokuzaemon, giving him a large role in the Seto ware export industry during the Meiji era. He passed away in 1903, and the factory was closed in 1922.
