ー Why are there so many living creatures in your work?

I used to love reptiles. I used to keep land turtles.
I had a workshop in a place where there were rice paddies all around, so in spring there were a lot of frogs coming to the workshop.
I thought it would be nice to have a frog motif, so I started making frog artwork.

ー When you make your artwork, do you look at photographs or actual objects?

In the beginning, they looked more like dinosaurs than frogs. Looking at it now, it looks terrible.
I gradually got closer to the frog I have now by referring to the work of other artists around me, looking at the frogs I had, and getting advice from customers.
At first, I think I started to make improvements around the eyes. I started to take my eyes off more.
I also didn't really know how many fingers they had, so I started learning from there and started observing them a lot more.
I often went to reptile shops and saw frogs in person, and of course also in pictures, and I was like, yes, yes, yes.
I would go and catch frogs in the early spring, observe them and release them.
Every year I do a bit of fieldwork, like bringing frogs from eggs and raising them until they become frogs.

ー Tell us what you are particular about in your work.

Rather than pursuing realism, my first priority is to make the products in my own way.
It's the same with mimicry. If you get the point, you can look very much like that person.
I make my work with the aim of keeping the points of a frog in mind while adding my own elements.

ー What is the attraction of frogs?

Reptiles in particular have very nice textures. They are a bit shiny or cold.
I don't know how to say it, but the feeling when you touch them is indescribable. The neck, the curves...
You can't see it from the outside, but I'm always aware that there are bones inside the frog.
I think about what kind of skeleton it has. I want to express that with glass.

ー Tell us about your ideal piece.

I probably have an ideal frog inside me, and I'm trying to get closer to that.
Even if I create a work that is close to my ideal, I try to let it go. I try not to keep any of it with me.
No matter how good it is, I want to make something even better than that.