World-renowned faceted glass artist finds the starting point of his creation in Shodoshima Islander Interviews – Ideal for Your Trip Home

Living in Tokushima and Shodoshima has given him a new perspective and inspiration for his work.

Currently, I spend half the month in Shodoshima and half the month in Tokushima, traveling back and forth as I work on faceting," says faceting artist Keiji Ishikawa. We interviewed him at his home and workshop on a hilltop in an olive grove.
One of my wife's friends is a Shodoshima lover, and she used to come here with him. My wife liked it first, and then I started coming to visit with her. I remember how excited I was when I first came. The udon noodles we had on the ferry were delicious. Once we arrived at the island, the road running along the sea was really nice. I had the strong impression that the island was very relaxing.
As he visited Shodoshima several times, he felt a strong desire to set up a studio here as well, and to produce his work here. In 2021, he opened a home and studio in Shodoshima.
Shodoshima Shodoshima Tokushima are both rich in nature, with mountains and ocean, but in Tokushima you have to drive a bit to get to the ocean or mountains, whereas in Shodoshima both are right there. Tokushima has a horizontal expanse, while Shodoshima has richness in the difference in elevation between up and down.
One of the attractions of Shodoshima, as Ishikawa sees it, is olives.
I like eating them, but I also like the trees. Olive trees are unique. The color of the leaves is not what you would call green, but rather a pale, silverish color. I like that feeling. That's why I like this place where I can see the ocean and olive groves.

Mr. Ishikawa first encountered faceting when he was one year away from retirement. He learned the technique by attending an Edo faceting workshop in Tokyo, where he was living at the time.
At the time, I was a corporate warrior and often worked late into the night. I found a workshop that I could go to after work and learned cutting techniques. After the cutting process, there is a process called "polishing," which is time-consuming and requires a lot of skill. But at the workshop, I was taught only the cutting process, so I taught myself the polishing process by researching on the Internet.
In 2021, Mr. Ishikawa entered a faceted glass piece in an international design contest in Italy, where it won the Bronze Prize. The design he entered that year was called "Limpid Stream" and was inspired by the image of a river flowing through Tokushima. The design that won the Silver Award in 2025 was called "Brilliant Olive," which was inspired by the image of a river flowing through Tokushima.
The design for "Brilliant Olive" won the Silver Award in 2025. For example, Tokushima is a place with clean water, so many water-inspired designs are created there, and Shodoshima there is a desire to create something with an olive motif. Every time I go back and forth every month, I feel like I am somehow switching modes within myself.

After a busy corporate career, he now spends his time doing what he loves. People around him say, "You have a nice retirement," but Mr. Ishikawa has a different view.
People often say that every day is Sunday, but I feel that every day is a weekday. Every day I can try something new, something I like to do. If this is my second life, I would like to move on to my third and fourth lives.

We asked him to tell us about the walking route he takes with his dogs, who always come to Shodoshima with him.
There is a Shodoshima Olive Park nearby, and I walk them there in the morning and in the evening. In the morning, the view from the observation deck further up from the Greek windmill is beautiful. Olive Park is also famous for its cherry blossoms, so in the spring I walk among the cherry blossoms in full bloom, and in the fall the maple trees turn bright red. I feel like I am filled with energy from the morning.
Four years have passed since he began living in his second base, and he has grown closer to the people of the island.
Shodoshima Sake Brewery, the only sake brewery on the island, holds a new sake festival every year in March. We display and sell faceted glasses at a booth in the store, and it is helpful to talk directly with customers at such events to hear their various opinions. I also make original glasses for a winery on the island, and my work is used in a nearby café.

Mr. Ishikawa enjoys living and working in Shodoshima. We asked him what he would like to create in the future and what challenges he would like to take on.
I have always wanted to make something new, something that people who see it will feel something meaningful. I also do not only faceted glass, but also blown glass, and I would like to build a glassblowing studio on the island for that purpose. I would need special equipment and the help of various people, but I hope to gradually increase the number of things I can do in Shodoshima in this way.