Making a Living by Making Things…

Hanada: Did you enjoy making things when you were a child, Ms. Takenaka?

Yuki Takenaka : I liked drawing. I used to draw things like manga.

Hanada: How did you discover glass?

Yuki Takenaka : I happened to see it in a book and found myself drawn to it. Then, after graduating from junior college, I started attending the Tokyo Glass Art Institute.

Hanada: So, you still chose to go to junior college first.

Yuki Takenaka : My father was a civil servant and my mother was a teacher, so I think they had no idea what their daughter was trying to do (laughs). They were like, “What do you mean, ‘making a living by making things’?” (laughs). My decision was partly to respect their wishes. By the way, I chose a junior college that didn’t have English as an exam subject (laughs).

Struggling with Molten Glass

Hanada: How did you find your time at the Tokyo Glass Art Institute?

Yuki Takenaka : At the time, all I could think about was wanting to work with glass. I didn’t even know what kinds of techniques existed, so I had to start from scratch. At the institute, you could learn almost everything except stained glass. Flameworking, pâte de verre, glassblowing, cut glass… I thought I would just learn them all and then choose the one that suited me best. It was also there that I realized I wasn’t cut out for glassblowing.

Hanada: Is that so?

Yuki Takenaka : Oh, that was… (laughs). Working with molten glass just didn’t suit me. With glassblowing, if the glass gets hard, you have to reheat it, and if it’s too soft, you have to adjust its shape. You constantly have to adapt to the glass, don’t you? I just couldn’t do that (laughs).

Hanada: You wanted the glass to adapt to you instead (laughs).

Yuki Takenaka : If I had truly loved it, I might have tried harder to adapt. In any case, it just means that molten glass and I weren’t meant to be.

Hanada: If molten glass is out of the question, that narrows down your options considerably (laughs).

Yuki Takenaka : And that is how I arrived at pâte de verre. I loved drawing, and the process of working with my own hands, using my fingertips, and building up detailed work step-by-step at my own pace really suited me.

Relying on Impressions

Hanada: Did you start working independently right after graduation?

Yuki Takenaka : No, I worked as an instructor and maker on Notojima Island in Ishikawa Prefecture, did various part-time jobs, and even worked as a school nurse at one point.

Hanada: You have done a wide variety of things.

Yuki Takenaka : Every single job was enjoyable.

Hanada: After a while, you set up your own studio here in Tottori. Have you focused on tableware ever since you started?

Yuki Takenaka : Yes. Pâte de verre is often used to create sculptural objects, but I wanted to make things for everyday use, so right from the beginning, I focused on functional tableware.

Hanada: Is there anything you particularly value when making tableware?

Yuki Takenaka : When I see something and find it beautiful, whether it is an antique or anything else, I try not to do work that merely traces the surface of it. So even if I am inspired by something, I never look at it while making my pieces. I finish them based solely on the impression left in my memory from that moment. Sometimes I look back at the original inspiration later, and I am surprised myself by how completely different my work has turned out.

Hanada: Even if the appearance is different, something must have stayed with you. Do you have any favorite antiques or old things?

Yuki Takenaka : Hmm, what do I like? I am sure there are many, but I can’t think of any right now.

Hanada: So that is how it works for you. Because things come to you as impressions, they aren’t stored in your mind as individual pieces of information.

Yuki Takenaka : That might be true.

My Favorite Lines and Shapes

Hanada: How do you decide on the shapes of your tableware?

Yuki Takenaka : It begins when I think to myself in daily life, “This shape would be easy to use,” “I want to serve food on this,” or “I wish I had a piece like this.” For example, this piece was originally inspired by a ceramic small plate that I used and liked. In the end, this one also turned out to be a completely different shape from the original ceramic piece (laughs).

Hanada: Did you have a specific food in mind that you wanted to serve on it from the beginning?

Yuki Takenaka : Cookies. I have a sweet tooth.

Hanada: When making a new item, do you create a prototype out of something first?

Yuki Takenaka : First, I draw it. I sketch the lines I like over and over to gradually give it form, and when it feels right, I measure how many centimeters it is. Then, I adapt it into a practical, user-friendly size, aligning it with standard dimensions or inches.

Hanada: Can you make a prototype quickly?

Yuki Takenaka : When I’m in a good flow, it takes about half a day.

Hanada: So it depends on your state of mind.

Yuki Takenaka : If I try for about an hour and it doesn’t click, I stop right there and say, “Today is not my day” (laughs).

Hanada: Do you enjoy creating prototypes?

Yuki Takenaka : When you do this repeatedly, your favorite shapes tend to become somewhat defined, don’t they? Sometimes during the process, I discover, “Ah, this is a line I really love.” Bringing that from a flat drawing into a three-dimensional form is very enjoyable.

A Triangle I Wanted to Try

Hanada: Next, you apply the patterns.

Yuki Takenaka : Patterns… it’s fun when ideas come to me, but painful when they don’t (laughs). Sometimes I already have ideas while I am still shaping the piece.

Hanada: So there are times when it is decided right from the start.

Yuki Takenaka : Yes, but it is rarely fully decided. For example, with this piece, I really wanted to try creating this central triangle. I wanted to show a triangle as a solid shape, rather than just lines.

Hanada: So the shape of the piece and the central triangle were determined first.

Yuki Takenaka : I built the surrounding design to make that central part stand out.

Hanada: Does the surrounding design usually come together smoothly?

Yuki Takenaka : At first, I just try various things. I draw directly onto the plaster mold with a soft 10B pencil, and if it doesn’t look right, I wipe it off and try again, repeating the process. But in the end, you don’t really know how it will turn out until it becomes glass. Some people might be able to visualize it, but I can’t.

Hanada: We might see more variations of this triangle design in the future.

Yuki Takenaka : No, this is the only one. I am already satisfied with it (laughs). I always get satisfied quickly, so I don’t tend to expand into variations.

Hanada: So the idea of trying this on a square plate, for example, doesn’t occur to you.

Yuki Takenaka : No. Even if I tried, other people might not think anything of it, but I would probably feel unsettled. I wish I could be more flexible and free, especially since no one is telling me to stick to one thing.

Hanada: You just don’t like feeling unsettled about your work.

Yuki Takenaka : Exactly. There is no point in going out of my way to make something that leaves me feeling unsatisfied (laughs).

Nine Colors in a Single Piece

Hanada: Once the composition of the pattern is ready, you move on to choosing the colors.

Yuki Takenaka : I have gradually come to understand which colors I like, so it is a matter of combining them. I have more colors to work with now.

Hanada: Is there anything you are careful about? For instance, trying not to use too many colors?

Yuki Takenaka : As long as it looks cohesive as a whole, I don’t worry about it too much. That is why some pieces use as many as nine colors.

Just to See That Sight…

Hanada: What do you think is the appeal of pâte de verre as tableware?

Yuki Takenaka : I suppose it is the way it sparkles. I think I simply love things that are intricate and require a lot of care. It is hard to explain, but I am drawn to things that are calculated and precise. For example, with clothing or textiles, it is like the difference between a print and embroidery. If it’s embroidery, I think “Wow,” but if it’s a print, it’s more like “Oh, okay” (laughs). It doesn’t matter whether it is made by hand or manufactured by a machine.

Hanada: Perhaps it is the depth found in things that are built up little by little.

Yuki Takenaka : As a maker, nothing makes me happier than when customers get excited right in front of me, saying “Wow.” For myself, the moment I look forward to most is opening the kiln after the firing is finished.

Hanada: Seeing them all lined up together must be the true climax of the making process.

Yuki Takenaka : Yes. I work hard just to see that sight (laughs). Though even now, there are times when it turns out differently from what I expected, and I wonder what happened.

Hanada: The colors are quite different before they go into the kiln, aren’t they?

Yuki Takenaka : I can predict it to some extent, but ultimately you don’t know until it is fired. This isn’t limited to glass, but colors look completely different depending on the colors next to them or what they are paired with.

Looking Ahead…

Hanada: Thank you very much for sharing your story. Please continue to create your unique world through your work.

Yuki Takenaka : Thank you. No matter how fresh or different a new piece feels, it makes me happy when people say, “This is so typical of you.” It makes me feel as though I am genuinely sharing a connection with my customers through the things I love. I hope to keep doing this kind of work in the future.