Suminosuke Fukaumi was born in Saga Prefecture, also he was the son of Heizaemon, a skilled pottery artisan in Hizen Province (Saga Prefecture). His father used to sell to Dutch merchants the glaze of purple and light black of his own invention.
In 1870, Suminosuke successfully applied the theory of dyestuffs which he had learned from Wagner, a German, for various materials.
Travelled in the United States (1876) to inspect its ceramic industry. After returning to Japan, he disagreed with other ceramists of the K5ransha on ceramic manufacturing methods and left the organization to set up the Seiji-kaisha, which manufactured Western tableware.
