Born in 1976 in Bizen City, Okayama Prefecture, Japan, Hitoshi Morimoto grew up immersed in his family's Bizen pottery workshop. Bizen ware is one of Japan's Six Ancient Kilns, an unglazed stoneware fired at high temperatures where natural patterns emerge from wood ash and flame during the week-long firing process.

After studying sculpture at Tokyo Zokei University, Morimoto apprenticed under Seiya Toyoba in Gifu, where he learned Mino pottery traditions. In 2003, he established his practice in the semi-underground climbing kiln his father constructed half a century earlier, where he continues to fire his work today.

Morimoto's work is deeply rooted in place. The clay he uses is mined from fields in Inbe, the historic district that has been the heart of Bizen pottery production for over 1,000 years. He produces both unglazed Bizen-ware with natural ash effects and glazed works that merge Bizen heritage with Mino techniques. For Morimoto, creating pottery in this area means sustaining an unbroken bond between craft, community, and the land that has shaped this tradition for centuries.