Who was your master?
I haven’t learnt from a master, but I use nature as my inspiration and teacher. My work is based on what I observe in nature, growing plants and working in gardens and this is also how I have created my own vocabulary, my own process and my own way of making artworks.
How does nature influence your craft?
My work is made from grasses, hawthorn twigs and branches. It is also inspired by natural forms: an unusual rock formation, a twisted tree branch, clouds in the sky. It is then a matter of matching the material to an idea.
© Courtesy jaggedart London and Kazuhito Takadoi
Does your artwork reflect both Eastern and Western cultures?
My Western horticultural expertise and the place where I live, the plants that I grow and which surround me, influence the materials I use. However, my Japanese heritage very much influences the ethos and aesthetics behind my work.
What is the proudest moment of your career?
To be awarded a Special Mention at the Loewe Craft Prize 2019, especially as the ceremony took place at the Isamu Noguchi stone garden Heaven, inside the Sogetsu Kaikan building in Tokyo, a truly stunning and special venue.