Anyone who visits a museum or art museum has probably seen a replica at least once.
To be honest, until now I had never paid any attention to replicas. I believed that nothing could surpass the original. I had never given any thought to why replicas are made or to the process of completing them.
However, my perspective changed completely after attending the talk show “Glass Treasures Cross the Sea—Toshodaiji Temple, Shosoin, and the Land of Kibi,” held on Sunday, July 28, 2024. I learned about the significance of making replicas and the passion of the people who create them.
Here, we introduce an exhibition and talk show featuring Sakoda Takeomi, who is taking on the challenge of recreating ancient glass.
The information presented was current when this article was published in August 2024. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Sakoda Takeomi
Sakoda was born in Hiroshima Prefecture and currently lives in Kurashiki City. He is a glass artist.
He is the chief technical staff member in the Glass program of the Faculty of Arts at Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, and also serves as a director of the Glass Art Society of Japan. He has spent many years researching the recreation of ancient glass and has presented his work in solo and group exhibitions. To date, he has recreated works including Shosoin treasures and pieces held by the British Museum.
“Sakoda Takeomi: The Challenge of Recreating Ancient Glass” is being held at the Nariwa Museum from Saturday, July 13, to Monday, September 23 (a national holiday), 2024.
Sakoda creates replicas so precise that they can be mistaken for the originals, reproducing not only their original colors and shapes but even scratches and air bubbles.
When asked about the appeal of recreating ancient glass, a process involving repeated failures and attempts, he said:
“As I work, I think about what the makers of the past were aiming for and what they found appealing. I recreate these objects while exploring the essence of humanity and the common ground between people of the past and present.”
In other words,
it seems that he approaches his recreations by thinking not only about the works themselves, but also about the people who made them.
The exhibition “Sakoda Takeomi: The Challenge of Recreating Ancient Glass”
The Nariwa Museum, where the exhibition is being held, is in Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture. It was built to honor the achievements of Kojima Torajiro, a Western-style painter with ties to Kurashiki City. Sakoda’s works were on the first floor.
Photography is normally prohibited inside the Nariwa Museum. Special permission to take photographs was granted for this occasion.
About 20 replicas are on display at the venue, accompanied by explanatory panels and videos showing how they were made.
▼ Some of the main replicas in “Sakoda Takeomi: The Challenge of Recreating Ancient Glass”
| Replica | Year made | Collection |
|---|---|---|
| Shosoin treasure, “Green Glass Twelve-Lobed Long Cup” | 2017 | Artist |
| Toshodaiji Temple National Treasure, reliquary “White Glass Reliquary Jar” | 2004 | Okayama Orient Museum |
| Spouted bottle with handle | 1999 | Okayama Orient Museum |
| Idemitsu Museum of Arts, “Gold Sandwich Glass Bowl” | 2004 | Artist |
| Shosoin treasures, “Small Glass Ruler and Glass Fish” | 2023 | Shosoin Office, Imperial Household Agency |
The original works of the pieces Sakoda has recreated are all precious and cannot be taken out of their collections. Since he cannot place them side by side to check their colors, shapes, and thinness, recreating them also requires keen powers of observation and memory.
The challenges continue throughout the process: methods of production differed in the past, and even when materials are specified in written sources, factors such as temperature and oxygen levels can change the color. The explanatory panels and videos showed the process of creating the works, overcoming difficulties through hard work and perseverance.
For example, the replica of the Green Glass Twelve-Lobed Long Cup on display has slightly cloudy glass and large air bubbles rarely seen in modern glassware. It was apparently recreated in 2017, but it looked as though it had been made hundreds of years ago.
Replicas are not the real thing. However, they are made to be as close as possible to the originals, which people have almost no opportunity to see in person. Through Sakoda’s work, I was able to reflect on ancient times and experience the appeal of works of art shrouded in many mysteries.
Speakers at “Glass Treasures Cross the Sea—Toshodaiji Temple, Shosoin, and the Land of Kibi”
Sakoda Takeomi, who lives in Kurashiki City, is taking on the challenge of recreating ancient glass. To mark his solo exhibition, “Sakoda Takeomi: The Challenge of Recreating Ancient Glass,” a talk show titled “Glass Treasures Cross the Sea—Toshodaiji Temple, Shosoin, and the Land of Kibi” was held on July 28, 2024.
Many people attended the commemorative talk show at Taikomaru Plaza, adjacent to the Nariwa Museum. Two guests from institutions that hold treasures (originals) recreated by Sakoda, and who were also deeply involved in the recreations, joined the discussion, which covered the work of recreating these objects.
Ishida Taichi
One of the speakers, Ishida Taichi, serves as deputy head priest of Saiho-in, the inner sanctuary of Toshodaiji Temple in Nara City.
Saiho-in was founded around 1243–1246 and is a place with many stone monuments, including the graves and memorial pagodas of monks who worked to restore the temple complex at Toshodaiji Temple.
At the talk show, he was introduced as deputy head priest of Saiho-in, but he also serves as the administrative head of Toshodaiji Temple.
He has apparently worked with Sakoda since 2004, when Sakoda recreated the National Treasure White Glass Reliquary Jar.
Nishikawa Akihiko
Nishikawa Akihiko is the former director of the Shosoin Office of the Imperial Household Agency. The Shosoin collection consists mostly of works of art and crafts and documents that came from the continent or were made in Japan during the Nara period. It is said to contain around 9,000 items, even counting only those that have been catalogued.
Taniichi Takashi
Taniichi Takashi is the former director of the Okayama Orient Museum and the current director of the Hayashibara Museum of Art. He served as the moderator at the talk show.
He is a leading researcher of ancient glass, and apparently it was Taniichi who inspired Sakoda to begin researching ancient glass.
How Sakoda came to take on the challenge of recreating ancient glass
Sakoda (honorific omitted)
Let me tell you how I came to work on recreating works. It was 1999, the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Okayama Orient Museum. An exhibition was planned in which participants could look at items in the collection and recreate them, or create works based on the inspiration they gained there.
It was a groundbreaking exhibition for its time, bringing together makers, artists, curators, researchers, and others to create the exhibition together. I chose the spouted bottle with handle.
I looked at the catalogue and tried various things to create the vertical pattern as described, but at first I couldn’t get the result I wanted. As I thought it through and experimented, I managed to produce a similar pattern and complete a proper piece. It was my first recreated work.
Two years later, in 2001, I used a CT scan to examine the structure of a three-necked bottle, also as part of a project by the Okayama Orient Museum. I realized that scientific evidence was important, too.
In 2004, I recreated the White Glass Reliquary Jar from Toshodaiji Temple. That led me to work with Professor Taniichi. At the time, Professor Taniichi said, “Put some air bubbles in here,” and I had a bit of trouble with that.
Also in 2004, I visited the then Middle Eastern Culture Center (now the Idemitsu Museum of Arts) to learn more about the White Glass Reliquary.
They also had an example of a bowl made using gold sandwich glass. When I saw it for the first time, I thought, “I’d like to try making one of these,” and rather than waiting for a commission, I asked them myself, “Would you let me make a reproduction?” This led me to start creating original works as well.
In 2012, someone from Tokyo University of the Arts who was researching kirikane (cut-gold decoration) asked me to work with them on their research. They thought that the origins of the kirikane used to decorate Buddhist statues might lie in glass from 2,000 years ago (gold sandwich glass).
The Meaning of Reproduction
Nishikawa (surname only)
There is a very interesting document preserved at Shosoin. It contains a recipe for making glass beads, and it says here (in the document) that lead was heated to make lead tetroxide.
It also explains how to make the main ingredients for glass and what colors you get by adding different amounts of each ingredient. We hand Sakoda the recipe, saying, “There’s this excellent recipe for ancient glass here, so please make a reproduction for us.” And that’s when Sakoda’s struggle begins.
Lead tetroxide: A red pigment whose main component is lead tetroxide, made up of lead and oxygen
Sakoda
The ingredients are listed, but there are also figures from a survey and analysis of glass beads and other items conducted sometime between 1961 and 1963. I used those as a basis for trying various mixtures. But I couldn’t get the colors right.
For example, when making yellow, I add coke to create a reducing environment and adjust the color. I repeated the process over and over, and counted about 80 different mixtures for yellow. There were about 50 for blue and 40 for green, I think. It took that many attempts to get a color close to the original.
To judge whether the color is right, I make a sample, take it to Nara, and compare it with the original. I get feedback, then go back and repeat the color-mixing process. This went on for about a year.
We also compare the finished gloss with the original, checking whether it is too shiny or a little dull. We examine the surface under a microscope, including its scratches. I make a file and use it to scratch and carve the surface. I try various things while looking through a microscope to see how I can get closer to the original.
Nishikawa
At this solo exhibition, I think some visitors will see Sakoda’s work and think, “I thought I’d get to see the real thing, but a replica? I’m not so sure.” There are restrictions on moving the originals around. So one purpose of making reproductions is to create, with greater precision, substitutes that can be displayed to the public.
The second purpose is that reproductions greatly advance research. We can’t make them just by looking at the originals, taking photographs, and examining them. They become possible through more in-depth research.
The third purpose is this: when I was in my late twenties, there was a time when I thought, “We take such good care of the originals, so why do we need to make reproductions?” Protecting the originals is our most important job, after all.
But there have been disasters such as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and the July 2018 heavy rains that also affected Mabi, as well as air raids during the world wars. You never know what might happen, so the best thing is to make another substitute and store it somewhere else.
These are the three major purposes of reproduction. The maker’s aim is to create something that is in no way inferior to the original, and although it may take a tremendous toll, Sakoda worked on it with great dedication.
From the Writer
Taking part in the talk show and viewing Sakoda’s work completely changed how I think about reproductions. The work involves repeating tasks until they seem endless and making fine adjustments under a microscope. No compromises are allowed as the maker works on each piece. I felt that this was achieved only through extraordinary effort and perseverance, along with support from those around him.
I had never considered the three purposes of reproduction, but I learned how important it is for passing on the achievements of those who came before us to future generations. I think reproductions can also further enhance the value we place on the originals.
The solo exhibition “Sakoda Takeomi Glass Exhibition” is scheduled to be held at the art gallery on the fourth floor of Tenmaya Kurashiki Store from Wednesday, August 28 to Monday, September 2, 2024. Why not let Sakoda’s work captivate you at this exhibition as well?
Nariwa Museum Information
| Name | Nariwa Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 1068-3 Shimohara, Nariwa-cho, Takahashi City |
| Contact | 0866-42-4455 |
| Parking | Available |
| Opening hours | 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (last admission at 4:30 p.m.) |
| Closed | Mondays Open on public holidays and substitute holidays, and closed the following day |
| Admission (tax included) | 【General】 Adults and seniors: ¥1,200 University, high school, and junior high school students: ¥800 【Admission exemptions】 Holders of a Physical Disability Certificate, Rehabilitation Certificate, or Mental Disability Certificate, plus one accompanying person (proof must be presented; the Mirairo ID disability certificate app is accepted) Elementary school students and younger (through January 13, 2025) Junior high school students residing in Takahashi City (on school holidays) Okayama Prefecture Museum Association discount ticket 【free admission for the holder and one accompanying person】 【Other discounts】 Okayama Prefecture Local Culture Foundation membership card 【20% off for the holder only】 Setouchi Museum Network common discount ticket 【20% off for the holder only】 Santan Club Card or Sanyo Shimbun ID membership card 【¥100 off for the holder only】 Elful Card 【¥100 off for the holder only】 Okayama Ai Card 【¥100 off for the holder only】 Refresh subsidy ticket 【discount for members and their household family】 ※Admission fees vary depending on the exhibition ※The fees above apply to the Sakoda Takeomi exhibition |
| Payment methods |
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| Reservations | Available Advance reservations are recommended for groups |
| Smoking | Entirely non-smoking |
| Restrooms | Western-style toilets, Japanese-style toilets, accessible toilets |
| Childcare | Strollers available for loan A baby bed is available in the women’s restroom on the first floor |
| Accessibility | Ramps, accessible toilets, elevator, wheelchairs available for loan Accessible toilet is on the first floor |
| Website | Nariwa Museum |
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