Imbued with a deep bluish hue, Kotoe Tazoe’s Mulberry Kiriko Small Plate is like a jewel for the table, marked by its shimmering surface and elaborately designed, meticulously hand-cut grooves.
Each of Kotoe Tazoe’s works begin as a piece of raw, unfinished glass made at a multi-generational glassblowing studio in Tokyo, home to master artisans that specialize in fabricating colored and two-tone glass. She pairs the glass with a traditional kiriko pattern she designs herself, inspired by flowers, kimonos, and other classically Japanese motifs. At her small studio behind a coffee shop in Toyama, Tazoe etches the design into the glass entirely by hand, a meticulous, time-intensive, and exceedingly difficult process she has spent years mastering. Tazoe named this design "Nanako (魚子)," or fish eggs, after its resemblance to roe and its symbolic connection to prosperity.