Kataro Shirayamadani (1865-1948), also known as Kitaro Shirayamadani, was a Japanese ceramist and artist who worked at the Rookwood Pottery factory in Cincinnati (USA) from 1887 to 1948.

Shirayamadani was born in Tokyo. He was already an accomplished porcelain artist when he came to the United States. He first worked at the Japanese Village in Boston. It was in this Japanese crafts workshop that he first met Maria Longworth Nichols Storer, who founded Rookwood Pottery, one of America’s most famous potteries, in 1880. The factory is known for its innovative methods of producing and decorating ceramics.

Kataro Shirayamadani became one of the company’s most famous designers. His work often combines influences from Japanese heritage with cutting-edge Art Nouveau. The vase he made won the top prize at the 1900 Paris World’s Fair. The vase was purchased by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1901 and is still in its collection today.

Kataro Shirayamadani worked at Rookwood Pottery from 1887 until his death in 1948, with a break between 1911 and 1921. His best works, which are included in the collections of the most famous museums in the world, made in the Art Nouveau style, were created at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.