Mitsuo Shoji undertook nine years of undergraduate and post-graduate training, first at the Art Institute of Osaka City Museum and Nakanoshima School of Arts in Osaka, then at the prestigious Kyoto City University of Fine Arts.

Living in Australia since 1973, Mitsuo taught first in Melbourne and recently retired after 30 years at the Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney, where he inspired a generation of ceramic artists through his traditional and contemporary approaches to the medium. Mitsuo’s work covers a broad spectrum of ceramic expression from functional designware to sculptural objects. He is a fine exponent of tableware, which he exhibits regularly. His pieces reflect the Japanese regard for the appearance of the dish being equal to the taste. He makes platters and bowls for his friend, celebrated Sydney chef Tetsuya Wakuda of ‘Tetsuya’s Restaurant’. In fact, Mitsuo’s are extensively featured in a recently published book celebrating the renowned restaurant’s first decade, and in which Tetsuya extols the virtues of ceramics in food service.

Mitsuo’s work is held in public collections in Italy, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Finland, Switzerland, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. A major work was also acquired by the National Gallery of Australia in 2000.