Tetsuaki Nakao was born in 1952 to a family of potters. He initially embarked on a life as an academic of philosophy, however he decided to leave university and pursue a career as a potter.

He developed a unique glaze called the 'Galaxy Glaze' which is produced by adding particles of various metal elements to the mixture of the glaze, which crystalize under the extreme heat of the kiln. Each of the five colours requires a separate kiln heated to a different temperature.

He has exhibited widely and has been awarded many prizes. In 1994 he exhibited in parallel with Rosanjin Kitaoji at the Denver Art Museum, Colorado, and in 2003 he exhibited at the Revolution in Art Exhibition at the Louvre Museum in Paris.