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Born in 1935, Toki, Gifu Prefecture. Ito grew up in Mino that is home to a thriving ceramic industry, and whose potteries had undergone major reform in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He currently continues live and work in Mino where both his home and workshop are located. He entered Musashino Art University in 1954, where he studied oil painting. Upon graduating university he joined the design department of the Gifu Prefectural Ceramics Research Institute, where he was greatly influenced by Sakuzo Hineno, who was a leading figure in Japan’s crafts movement. While at first solely engaging in two-dimensional design work, he eventually also began to produce ceramics himself due to realizing the limitations of the connection between designing on a flat surface and with the actual three-dimensional works for which they were intended. Ever since, he has produced three-dimensional forms such as “ceramic sculptures” and “installations” which from early on have combined other materials like iron. Solo Exhibitions 2025 “Now, the Future” L gallery, Aichi, Japan 2025 ”Space and Silence“ Tomio Koyama Gallery Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan 2025 ”Earthen Figure“ Tomio Koyama Gallery Kyobashi, Tokyo, Japan 2025 “Keiji Ito” Kakiden Gallery, Tokyo, Japan 2025 “Keiji Ito” MtK Contemporary Art, Kyoto, Japan 2025 “Keiji Ito: Prayer – Now, the Future” Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Tajimi, Gifu, Japan 2025 “Humans and Expression” kaufmann repetto milan, Milan, Italy 2024 “Pottery Figures” Gallery NOW, Toyama, Japan 2023 “Kei” L gallery, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan 2023 “Keiji Ito: Pictures and Ceramic Sculptures” Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan 2022 “Keiji Ito” Tomio Koyama Gallery, Tokyo, Japan 2022 Kogen, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan 2021 “KATACHI” L Gallery, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan 2021 "The Repose of Souls: The 10th Anniversary Exhibition of 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake" Space Arte Meister, Aizu, Fukushima, Japan 2019 “Keiji Ito Ceramics Exhibition: Playing with Clay” Wako Hall, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan 2017 ”Never forget memories“ Oriental Gallery, Hiroshima, Japan 2013 “Keiji Ito: Painting, Craft, Form” Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Tajimi, Gifu, Japan 2012 “The Repose of Souls” Space Arte Meister, Aizu, Fukushima, Japan 2011 “Keiji Ito: The Scale of Mind” The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu / Paramita Museum, Mie, Japan 2009 “Keiji Ito: MEN”JR Nagoya Takashimaya, Iichi, Japan 2003 Gallery NOW, Toyama, Japan 2002 “Tsura, Zura” “Scale Series” Galerie Momogusa, Tajimi, Gifu, Japan 1999 “Japanese Pottery, Hiroshima Series” Gallery Momogusa, Tajimi, Gifu, Japan 1998 “1965-1998” Gallery Momogusa, Tajimi, Gifu, Japan 1995 Hetjens-Museum, Düsseldorf, Germany [Traveled to Gallery Böwing, Hannover, Germany/Musée des Arts Décoratifs de la Ville de Lausanne, Switzerland] 1993 Gallery Kawabune, Tokyo, Japan 1991 Gallery Caption, Gifu, Japan 1990 Gallery Tsubaki, Tokyo, Japan 1987 Gallery Shiro, Osaka, Japan 1976 Kasahara Gallery, Osaka, Japan Group Exhibitions 2026 “Gallery Artists Exhibition: Tomio Koyama Gallery” CADAN Otemachi, Tokyo, Japan 2025 “100 Years of Matsuya Ginza:Connected Memories, Continuing Futures” THE GINZA LOUNGE, Matsuya Ginza, Tokyo, Japan 2025 “The Seven Hands of Mino” Sogetsu Plaza, Tokyo, Japan 2025 “KEIJI ITO / SAM FALLS / ERIN FALLS / YUTAKA NOZAWA / YASUAKI HAMADA” GALERIE LULLA, Los Angeles, CA 2024 “25th Anniversary Project: Favorite Shapes” Gallery Suki, Aichi, Japan 2024 “ART in MINO 2024” Tajimi, Mizunami, Toki, Gifu, Japan 2024 “25th Anniversary Exhibition” Gallery Suki, Aichi, Japan 2024 “The beautiful, the ambiguous, and itself” kudan house, Tokyo, Japan 2023 “24th Anniversary Project: Favorite Shapes” Gallery Suki, Aichi, Japan 2023 “Keiji Ito and the artists felt his influence” RakuSui-tei Museum, Toyama, Japan 2021 “GO FOR KOUGEI” Shoukouji, Takaoka, Toyama, Japan 2021 “Kiyoyuki Kato & Keiji Ito, Masters of Talking with Soil” Kogen, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan 2021 Tajimi Mosaic Tile Museum Gifu, Japan 2013 “Keiji Ito + Ryoji Koie” RakuSui-tei Museum, Toyama, Japan 2012 “The Repose of Souls” Space Arte Meister, Aizu, Fukushima, Japan 2008 “aim'08: Grow from the soil” Tajimi, Toki, Mizunami, Gifu, Japan Public Collections Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, Japan Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia Everson Museum of Art, NY, United States Gifu Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, Japan Gifu Prefectural Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Japan Hessian State Museum, Kassel, Germany Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Japan Kikuchi Kanjitsu Memorial Tomo Museum Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art, Japan Marciano Art Foundation, LA, United States Musée Ariana, Switzerland Mosaic Tile Museum, Tajimi, Japan Nanjo Art Museum, Okinawa, Japan Paramita Museum Rakusui-tei Art Museum Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Japan The Honolulu Museum of Art, HI, United States The International Museum of Ceramics Foundation in Faenza, Italy The Korea Ceramic Foundation, Korea The National Crafts Museum Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery Awards 2017 Yakushiji Temple Heisei's 83 treasures 2016 Japan Ceramic Association Gold Award 2013 Ministry of Education, Regional Cultural and Artistic Merit Award 2007 Enku Award at the Enku Grand Prize Exhibition 2006 Gifu Prefecture Art and Culture Commendation 1989 Collection of Mino ceramic works 1981 Faenza International Ceramics Exhibition, Italy 1979 `79 Japan Craft Exhibition 1978 World Craft Council - Japan Craft Competition, Art Publishing Award