午夜剧场

I am active in the fields of etched glass and stained glass within the glass crafts industry. My themes are "Nature" and "The Future," and I strive for expressive representations based on sensibility rather than simply depicting plants or landscapes realistically. I believe it is important to have the ambition to surpass traditional works, research and develop new and advanced techniques, and apply the skills acquired through diligent effort to my creations.

I have been blessed with many encounters and good fortune in both my public and private life. Near my childhood home in Osaka was the architectural design office of Mr. Togo Murano. My father used to say, "One day, shortly after our company was founded (1931), Mr. Murano stopped by alone. He took a liking to the etched glass we were prototyping and visited frequently. He adopted many of our pieces for the Sogo Department Store Shinsaibashi Main Store he was designing, which gave us confidence and laid the foundation for our company." Growing up watching my father, a pioneer of etched glass, work tirelessly with glass every day, I felt a sense of awe and decided to follow the same path.

During my university years, I developed an interest in Western culture and joined the French Culture Research Society. I went on a long-term training trip to Europe, where I experienced authentic decorative glass firsthand. Leveraging that experience, I have contributed to the expansion of the architectural stained glass business to this day. Along with creating new works, I have also worked on many restorations of decorative glass from the early Showa era, such as the stained glass restoration during the reconstruction of the Osaka Securities Exchange Building, and the restoration of the large ceilings and windows of the Osaka Prefectural Government Main Building and the Sumitomo Bank Head Office. When you disassemble them for restoration, you can clearly see the traces of creative ingenuity, such as reinforcement methods, and I wish to pass on the wisdom and passion of that era to future generations.

I have also been blessed with opportunities to interact with artists from all over Japan and abroad. Friendships with many first-class craftspeople have allowed me to personally experience the depth of the crafts. In particular, through mutual visits to workshops with seniors and colleagues from the Arts Division of the Junior Chamber International Japan, I was able to touch upon the essence of secret techniques. The spiritual theories of Bizen ware masters Yu Fujiwara and Michiaki Kaneshige, the conversations at the home of glass artist Toshichi Iwata, and the atmosphere of visiting the Urasenke Konnichian were exceptionally resonant and irreplaceable experiences. When I was nominated as the 18th Chairperson of the Arts Division, everyone supported me warmly. I learned that those who excel in their craft also have world-class hearts, intelligence, and compassion.

I want to continue this pursuit in the future.

To further practice "the pursuit of sophisticated glass art," I will continue to strive for the development and popularization of glass crafts with "joy and gratitude for my calling." (Please search for "Ikuta Glass.")