Yagi Akira is the third generation of a prominent Kyoto-based pottery family. His grandfather Yagi Isso (1894-1973) and father Yagi Kazuo (1919-1978) were known for their avant-garde approach to ceramic forms. Yagi Akira graduated from Kyoto Seika College in 1976 and Kyoto Prefectural Ceramics Technical Institute in 1977. Specializing in the delicate bluish-white glaze (seihakuji) and a dark iron-black glaze, Yagi Akira is known for his precise mastery of wheel-thrown, glazed ceramics. In the 1980s, he began exploring structure by creating nesting sets of bowls and boxes. He frequently incorporates ribs or facets when shaping his works and also likes to contrast smooth and jagged surfaces.