ENTRO glass studio, run by Natsuko Higa, creates unique glass works that incorporate the colors and textures of nature. Her works, which incorporate the skillful techniques she has accumulated through years of research and a deep respect for nature, have the power to overwhelm viewers and evoke strong emotions in their hearts.
ENTRO glass studio” creates works utilizing fluid elements
Nestled in the rich natural environment of Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture, “ENTRO glass studio” is known as one of the most artistic glass studios in the prefecture. Ms. Natsuko Higa, who runs the studio, creates her own works as a glass artist and also teaches glass making at a school for experienced glass blowers, furthering her exploration. She also rents out her studio, offering glassmakers a place to create glass. Higa’s works range from everyday vessels to works of art that add a sense of presence to a space. Her works are imbued with the breath of nature, such as the shimmering of water and the colors of light, and quietly seep into the hearts of those who see and use them. The artistic and streamlined beauty produced by her hands attracts many people.
ENTRO” means ‘entrance’ in Spanish. Mr. Higa, speaking of his anxiety about taking the plunge into something new, said, “I have had the experience of being encouraged by pushing the backs of others who are also lost. By supporting others, we both gained courage and were able to open our own doors,” he says. He named his studio “ENTRO glass studio” to keep that original intention in mind.
Higa says that his role is “to use technology to extract the captivating moment in the heat given to the creator and give it a form that allows people to lean into it.
Mr. Higa’s works are not merely for appreciation, but are intended to accompany people’s lives and quietly serve in the lives of their users.
Where does Higa draw inspiration for her sincere approach to her work? According to Higa, it comes from “water.
When I explore water, I see color in light (Eros) and depletion and loss in structure (Thanatos). Both water and glass are similar in that the boundary between gas, liquid, and solid is ambiguous, and I find inspiration in this ambiguity,” Higa said.
Toward a life as a glass artist
In Higa’s works, one can sense “shadows” behind the rich colors. These shadows are the elements that make her works stand out. It shows her “determination. Let us look back on her life until she decided to make this resolution.
Overcoming Family Difficulties, Becoming a Hands-on Craftsman
Born and raised in Nago City, Higa witnessed the bankruptcy of his father’s company during his impressionable years. During her high school years, when her family circumstances were weighing heavily on her, she felt the fragility of the organization, saw the potential of “manufacturing” to create something with her own hands, and began to search for a way to become independent.
The “Glass Department” of Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, which she found in her high school career planning office, caught her attention. She wondered whether she should give up on the idea of higher education, considering her parents’ heavy debts, but it was her mother who gave her the push she needed.
She said, “You can lose money and assets, but no one can take your knowledge, skills, and experience away from you. However, knowledge, skills, and experience are assets that no one can take away. You can start over again with those assets. With her mother’s words in mind, he entered Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts, which at the time was said to have the best glass facilities in Japan.
Differences between glass artisans and glass molding artists studied in Kurashiki
In college, I had the opportunity to learn from professors in different positions: “glass artisan” and “glass sculptor”. The craftsman does not write on paper. An artist begins by drawing on paper. As I continued my practical training at the university, I realized that I am an “artist type” who uses his brain to think before he creates, not like a craftsman who works with his hands from the beginning.
Waste” impressed me while learning glass making.
When I was in college, I was helping to repair a kiln and replace the “crucibles” (jars) installed in the kiln to melt the glass, when I carried a large amount of waste kiln material to an industrial waste container. The sight of the piles of glass with impurities mixed in and the waste that inevitably comes out during production left an indelible impression on him.
We make our glass works by scooping out the top layer of impurities,” he said. Customers buy only what is beautiful. But if you are a maker, you have to be aware of the waste that is produced at the same time.
The words of the assistant professor, who was watching the scene with Higa, would later influence Higa’s attitude as a glass artist.
Glass Craft as Knowledge and Glass Craft as Technique
After graduating from university, Mr. Higa faced a major obstacle in his attempt to make glass his career. At university, he learned about glass craft as “knowledge,” but he realized that he lacked the “skills. He felt guilty to his parents for sending him to college and frustrated that he could not make it in society.
He decided to travel around the country in search of a master who could teach him the art of glassblowing.
After six years of wandering, exhausted both mentally and physically, he finally found a master in Japan who was willing to teach him the art of glassblowing. He studied under the late Kenji Ito, who ran the Aya Glass Studio in Kanagawa Prefecture, and the door to becoming a glass artist finally opened.
While working daily on her glass training, she met her current husband, Tairiku Higa, a native of the same hometown, who was studying culinary arts. Tairiku hoped to one day repay his debt of gratitude to his native Okinawa through cooking, and the idea of returning to Okinawa someday began to grow in his mind.
To Okinawa, his hometown. And the launch of two ENTROs
After engaging in glass production under Kenji Ito, Higa and her husband reached a turning point. After her husband Tairiku was injured, they decided to return to their hometown of Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture. In 2013, Higa opened “ENTRO glass studio” and Tairiku opened “ENTRO SOUP & TAPAS,” a restaurant based on the concept of “a restaurant where you can experience glass and food,” in Nago City in 2014. The restaurant is well known as a new space where local food and glass crafts are fused together.
The duo’s “ENTRO” place encourages interaction between locals and visitors through glass and food, and also provides an opportunity for each to take a step forward. In the gallery space at the back of the restaurant, there is a space where Higa’s artwork is on display, and visitors can view it while waiting for their food.
For Higa, Nago is also a place that holds fond memories of her grandmother and reminds her of words filled with wisdom to balance body and soul. What she learned through her six years of hard running before meeting her mentor was the importance of maintaining a healthy balance of mind and body in her craftsmanship.
When I was sick, my grandmother would make bitter bitter melon juice as a “life medicine (nuchigusui). Bitter is good for the body, but it is also delicious for the body. I remember being taught that ‘bitter but pleasing to the body is the true taste.
In such a memorable place, Higa, who has devoted herself to glass production, has begun a new challenge.
The Challenge of Making Glass from Scrap
In recent years, Higa has been focusing on a new research theme: while silica sand, the raw material for glass, has been decreasing in number and prices have skyrocketed, the world is being flooded with waste glass produced in large quantities. In response to this situation, she has found new value in the waste and is working to develop technology to make it easier to use as a material.
Glass may look the same, but its composition is delicate, and when different types of glass are combined, they break. That is where new technology and wisdom are needed,” she says.
He also envisions a project using glass waste, taking advantage of Okinawa’s unique location and human characteristics. Specifically, the first step is to make the waste material usable. The first step is to make it easy to use as a material, and to train technicians in the process. She also plans to transform the waste into a specialized and valuable product, and deliver it to the appropriate place.
Through this initiative, she aims to establish a new cycle for the future of glass making.
Future as a Glass Artist
Each of Higa’s works, nurtured in the nature of Okinawa, symbolizes her thoughts, techniques, and vision for the future. The glass story she spins out of “ENTRO”. It will continue to shine in the future.
