Kan Suzuki was born in 1963, in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. In 1986 he studied under Gen Onodera, an apprentice of Rosanjin. In 1987, he built a kiln in Sakuragawa City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and became an independent ceramiscist. Mr. Suzuki's pottery is of a type called "kohiki," in which the black clay is applied with transparent glaze (white clay slip from France) and then fired. His work is characterized by the expression of the black base clay showing through the white clay glaze. People usually think of kohiki as thick, heavy, and fragile, however Mr. Suzuki's work is thin, strong, and light, making it very easy to use in daily life.