Interview with Tomoki Mizuguchi
This interview is based on a conversation conducted during our first visit in July 2019.
What challenges did you face developing IGUSA GLASS?
Mizuguchi
Creating new colors in glass is quite difficult.
Even so, we invested and redesigned the furnace, driven by the desire to “do something that couldn’t be done elsewhere,” and repeated experiments for over a year.
There were times when it ended up looking as if it had been treated with chemicals, and no matter how many times we melted it, all we could do was throw it away. Since this was a new undertaking, there was no one we could consult.
We figured out how to burn the igusa, what tools to use, and the proportions through trial and error, and finally became able to make it consistently.
Tell us what you’re particular about.
Mizuguchi
We keep IGUSA GLASS affordable, but we hold the work to strict standards of quality.
We’re aiming for a sharp look, and we put a lot of emphasis on making it cool.
With glassblowing, the thinner the piece, the harder it is to make. But, for example, people say a thin glass doesn’t interfere with the taste of a drink, and if I were choosing a glass myself, I’d definitely want one with a thin rim.
I don’t want to sell anything I’m not happy with. I don’t want to compromise, so I carefully check the thickness, overall weight, and other details.
What does IGUSA GLASS mean to you, Mizuguchi?
Mizuguchi
IGUSA GLASS is made as a product of the studio, not as my own work. I make it, and the staff make it too. We don’t sign the pieces.
Eventually, I’m thinking of having other studios make it too.
Other studios?
Mizuguchi
A glassblowing studio spends hundreds of thousands of yen a month just to keep its glass-melting furnace running. You can’t let the fire go out.
I started my studio when I was 25, but I had no sales channels, there were few galleries that would let me hold a solo exhibition, and money just kept flying out the door.
You can get started, but it’s hard to keep going.
Even if you make things every day, you don’t know whether they’ll sell.
But if you can get into a pattern where you have orders and get paid for making those items, it makes a huge difference. Honestly, that’s exactly what I desperately wanted when I started my studio.
I’d be happy if IGUSA GLASS could be ordered from other studios and become a product that helps young people when they set out on their own.
That’s something for the future, though. First, I want to increase the number of places that sell IGUSA GLASS.
I hope it will come to be recognized as a Kurashiki specialty. It would be exciting if it went on to become Okayama glass, and then Japanese glass.
What kind of work is glassblowing?
Mizuguchi
The work itself is incredibly demanding.
There’s so much uncertainty, it doesn’t pay, it gets extremely hot in summer, and there are no days off.
You work until you’re on the verge of collapsing, so I tell people, “You’d be better off not doing it” (laughs).
Even people who want to make glassblowing their job usually don’t stick with it after experiencing a week of hard work. But I think those who still want to do it can keep going.
I love making things, so I don’t find the production work a burden.
But selling is difficult, and I’m not good at it. We divide up the roles, and our approach is to leave it to sales professionals.
I heard that you raised donations during the July 2018 Heavy Rain Disaster.
Mizuguchi
Actually, this studio was also flooded to about knee height by a river overflowing during a typhoon seven or eight years ago. We had to close for a month and a half.
The people who helped us then were fellow artists. They started a fundraiser without telling me, collected the money, and brought it to me. Thanks to their help, we’re here today.
During the July 2018 Heavy Rain Disaster, people I knew and a glass studio were also affected. There was major damage outside Mabi, too.
I helped with work at a nearby landslide site and in Mabi, and also started a fundraiser for a glass studio and friends who were self-employed, thinking, “Is there anything else I can do?” I then gave them the money.
I was grateful that so many people were willing to help.
Finally, tell us about your goals for the future.
Mizuguchi
We’re considering adding bud vases and small bowls to the IGUSA GLASS lineup. I’m also thinking about making items for weddings.
When I have more time, I might make lighting fixtures. Glass has this kind of color, so it looks beautiful when light shines through it.
I imagine combining it with woven igusa. I’d like to make products that combine glass with igusa products.
Personally, I’d like to focus on works of art and objects.
From the Writer
I’ve always thought IGUSA GLASS and Mizuguchi’s work were cool and beautiful, so I was looking forward to visiting the studio.
The mysterious power of the thick, bright-red glass fresh from a furnace heated to over 1,000 degrees is captivating. Watching the molten glass quickly yet carefully take shape into a piece before it hardens is moving!
When I borrowed some pieces for the photoshoot, I was so captivated by their beauty that I stopped taking pictures and gazed at them.
Be sure to hold one in your hands and see it in person, hold it up to the light, and admire the patterns of shadow.
Gurasuta TOMO Information
| Name | Gurasuta TOMO |
|---|---|
| Address | 2-13-33 Hiroe, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 080-1945-6046 |
| Parking | Available Advance notice required |
| Hours | 10:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m. Phone inquiries: 9:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. (We may be unable to answer the phone while working or during exhibitions.) |
| Closed | Irregular holidays |
| Payment methods |
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| Website | Glassblowing Studio Gurasuta TOMO |
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