I haven’t been able to find much biographical information on Kutani Ikko, but it seems no one else has any either, either in the West or in Japan! But, I have a little information, so here goes.
His given name is 宮保 英明(Eimei Kyuho?) and he’s been painting porcelain for over 25 years. Like most Kutani painters, most of his pots are collaboration pieces(Kutani ware works a little like a co-op, with people specializing in porcelain or painting), and he has collaborated with the likes of Tsukinowa Yusen and Takao Koyo. His work is breathtakingly detailed, and pretty rare, and commands some very high prices for an artist so new(relatively speaking) to the bonsai pottery game. Ive got some friends in Japan digging around for extra information for me, so I’ll repost this with an update soon.
Now, on to the pots!