Ueda has been studying in depth the ancient history of the sacred Buddha and he feels this inspiration come through in his work. Just as the Buddha is wise and powerful in spirit, and gentle and comforting in nature, so too, is the glass-like texture, and than fired a second time to create a harder than rock material. The shape, texture, and color of Ueda's works emit a sense of one-ness between earth and the spiritual world.

Excerpt from, Ceramic Monthly, Jan.2001: Although he is not a practitioner of any formal religion, the subject of Ueda's work is prayer. This concentration has "meant that I have endeavored to purse something that fills my heart, akin to ancestral genes that continue to exist within me. "I felt that this is what would determine the value of my existence".

Mr. Masahiko Shibatsuji Director, Fine Arts and Crafts Center, Japan: Indeed, every one of his creation is permeated by an ambiance of the sorrows of ancestors long passed away, latent with heavy shadows of "time". Those who look upon his work thereby feel themselves drawn to it. "Remembrances of prayer" long hidden away and consigned to oblivion are being recalled by Ueda as part of his embarkation upon a journey of pilgrimage.

Born:	1958, Nara, Japan
Education:	1979-1983 Kyoto City University of Arts, Japan 1983-1985 Kyoto City University of Arts, Graduate School, Japan
Public Collection:	Kyoto Culture Museum