¡°I enjoy glassmaking the most,¡± says Kiyoharu Matsuda, the master behind the Seiten studio. He started his apprenticeship in glassmaking at age 15, the day after graduating from junior high school. He says ¡°the most¡± for a reason: During the nine years between ages 15 and 23, he experimented with some 26 different jobs.

¡°I tried my hand at pottery and carpentry, among other things. Having had a go at everything that looked like fun, I came back to glassmaking in the end, the craft I had started with. I built my studio with my own hands, so my carpentry training came in handy then,¡± he says, smiling good-naturedly. For the 27 years since, he has never looked back from his decision to concentrate on glass.

Glass with class: Tabletop rhapsody in blues. Matsuda's wife, Misao, arranged these Okinawan dishes ¡ª fu-chanpur¨± (wheat gluten stir-fried with tofu) in front and ninjin shirishiri (sliced carrots with egg and tuna) in back. | KENGO TARUMI
Glass with class: Tabletop rhapsody in blues. Matsuda¡¯s wife, Misao, arranged these Okinawan dishes ¡ª fu-chanpur¨± (wheat gluten stir-fried with tofu) in front and ninjin shirishiri (sliced carrots with egg and tuna) in back. | KENGO TARUMI