“Team Japan,” as glass culture refers to these artists, is a group of unbelievably creative individuals. Including Junichi “Rose Roads” Kojima, Daisuke “Disk” Saito, Yoshinori Kondo, Takao Miyake and John Kobuki, the group has been pushing the boundaries of what can be done with glass.
Each member of Team Japan brings their unique style and approach to glass art. Kojima and Miyake are known for their intricate use of pointillism in glass, a first-of-its-kind design, and both are true masters of their craft. Using thousands of dots in tight, intricate patterns, these guys create a larger image from a microcosm of colorful dots. The beautiful patterns are done with such precision that when I first saw one, I couldn’t believe it was man-made. Some are more focused on patterns, while others depict images like Grateful Dead’s Steal Your Face logo or artistic land, sea and skyscapes.
Kondo, who Leaf featured in the 2023 Glass Issue, started out making soft glass beads using his kitchen stove. He has come a long way since then, making his name a mainstay in the American glass world with some help from American artist Josh Sable. Sable saw something in Kondo and assisted him in bringing his talents to a market that was much more interested in what he was making: weed. His dot stack patterns, opal inlay work and sculpting skills made his work skyrocket in value and popularity in a short amount of time.
Saito, better known as Disk Glass, gained widespread attention for his colorfully clean mosaic patterns, which took the internet and community by storm around the same time Team Japan was gaining popularity. He regularly collaborates with different members of Team Japan as well as American artists to make the “SLOP C.U.P.,” which is a functional “Contemporary Undercover Pipe” that resembles the shape of a fast food cup. Each cup is such a collaborative process that every single design is unique, and hardly any SLOP cup resembles another.
Kobuki has taught, demonstrated and exhibited glass blowing both in the United States and Japan. He uses compression to create images, like Hannya masks, samurai, flowers, dragons, skulls, jellyfish, mushrooms, and way more, encased in glass. He has even used the same technique to create the Joker, Frankenstein and Krampus. He is widely known for his marbles, which are all you will find on his Instagram page and are truly a sight to behold in person.
Together, Team Japan has created some of the most impressive and groundbreaking glass art in the world. Their work has been exhibited in galleries around the globe, and they have been featured in numerous publications. The value of their work has remained high, even in a fluctuating glass market. The intrinsic value of these artists’ work is something I understood immediately upon my first peak. Team Japan is an inspiration to glass artists and enthusiasts alike. Their work shows that there are no limits to what can be achieved with glass.
roseroadsglass.net | @roseroadskojima | @disk_glass | ihe-importer.com | @yoshinorikondo | @takaomiyake | @kobukiglass
