Kazuo Takiguchi was born to a family of a traditional Kiyomizu-ware wholesalers in Gojōzaka, Kyoto. He first found joy to create works at the Kyoto City University of Arts. He studied ceramics under Kiyomizu Rokubei VI (1901-1980) and Kazuo Yagi (1918-1979), one of the founders of Sōdeisha (Crawling through Mud Association), the influential avant-garde ceramic group founded in 1949. Inspired by Yagi, Takiguchi’s signature works are unconventional, sculptural forms and in particular, the Mudai (Untitled) series shows his distinctive style of abstract, complex forms with swelling bodies.

While he studied at the Royal College of Arts, London, from 1991 to 1992, he realised the importance of language and words. Since then Takiguchi has been creating language-inspired works that are associated with specific words and therefore each work is titled. On the other hand, his Mudai (Untitled) series are his attempt to embody something that cannot be expressed in specific words.

Throughout his career, Takiguchi has exhibited extensively and has won many prizes including: the Foreign Minister prize at Nihon Tōgei-ten (Japanese Ceramic Exhibition) in 1985, the silver prize at the Japan-China International Ceramic Exhibition in 1986, the grand prix at the Japanese Ceramic Exhibition in 1989, the grand prix at the Okada Mokichi prize exhibition at MOA museum in 1990, the Goto Cultural prize and Japan Ceramic Association prize in 1991, and the Kyoto Cultural prize in 1996.

Works by the artist can be found in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu; Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art.