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Masao Kozumi “薬瓶 / Vials”

The ninth exhibition by glass artist Masao Kozumi will be held at HIN Aoyama, HIN Kyoto, and A&S Fukuoka. For this exhibition, we present works inspired by “Vials,” exploring two expressions of glass: brown and clear.

Event details

For this exhibition, we will primarily present works inspired by old vials. The brown glass works, symbolic of vials, inherit the role once played by brown bottles used to protect medicines from light and deterioration, while developing into new forms. Taking the character of old vials as a point of departure, the works do not reproduce the vials themselves, but also incorporate designs inspired by liquor bottles, among other elements, elevating them into forms uniquely Kozumi’s own. In addition to bottles, funnels, shot glasses, and rocks glasses will also be presented. Both aspects will be presented: glass as a work of art and glass used in everyday life. Works made from nearly colorless clear glass will also be displayed. The different expressions of glass created through color and texture resonate with one another, forming a body of works with a rich sense of depth. We hope you enjoy exploring the exhibition.

Also as part of this exhibition, we will offer a special set combining craft gin by Tatsumi Distillery in Gifu Prefecture with a custom bottle and funnel created by Kozumi specifically for A&S. Each cedar box housing the set has been individually crafted by woodworker Gaku Nakazawa. Rooted in medicinal herbs and botanicals and with a history as a medicinal liquor, gin resonates with the theme of this exhibition, “Vials.” The bottle and its contents will be offered as a single product in limited quantities.

The craft gin featured as part of this special set is First Essence Damask Rose Gin by Tatsumi Distillery. Damask roses harvested in Ono, Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture, are distilled from early morning, with juniper berries and the Damask roses serving as botanicals. The base spirits are Gin Kaoru and chicory shochu. In 2026, a record 1,670 Damask roses were distilled. This gin is characterized by its floral aroma, crisp finish, and exquisite lingering sweetness.

 

Tatsumi Distillery was established in 2017 by distiller Shohei Tatsumi in Innaki Valley, Gujo Hachiman, Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture. Guided by the belief that “good distilled spirits are born from good fermented beverages,” the distillery explores both distillation and fermentation in its approach to making alcoholic beverages. Drawing on knowledge gained from diverse drinking cultures and production methods in Japan and abroad, it produces distilled spirits that reflect the character of the land and the individuality of its ingredients. Alongside craft gin, the distillery continues to create products that make the most of the aromas and flavors unique to their place of origin.

The craft gin featured as part of this special set is First Essence Damask Rose Gin by Tatsumi Distillery. Damask roses harvested in Ono, Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture, are distilled from early morning, with juniper berries and the Damask roses serving as botanicals. The base spirits are Gin Kaoru and chicory shochu. In 2026, a record 1,670 Damask roses were distilled. This gin is characterized by its floral aroma, crisp finish, and exquisite lingering sweetness.

 

Tatsumi Distillery was established in 2017 by distiller Shohei Tatsumi in Innaki Valley, Gujo Hachiman, Gujo City, Gifu Prefecture. Guided by the belief that “good distilled spirits are born from good fermented beverages,” the distillery explores both distillation and fermentation in its approach to making alcoholic beverages. Drawing on knowledge gained from diverse drinking cultures and production methods in Japan and abroad, it produces distilled spirits that reflect the character of the land and the individuality of its ingredients. Alongside craft gin, the distillery continues to create products that make the most of the aromas and flavors unique to their place of origin.

 

MESSAGE

“It was quite some time ago that a friend I deeply admired shared with me a vision of brown vials. Several years later, this came to take the form of an exhibition of perfume bottles, “Small Brown Bottles.” A few more years passed, and I began to regard the vials from that earlier vision as liquor bottles, creating vials in colors like amber and tortoiseshell.

 

Ten horses carrying loads of sake,
Swinging, pass by a thicket
Of trees in full summer foliage.
—Buson

 

In the sweltering heat of summer, sake is carried along, swaying heavily and slowly… with a packhorse driver at its side. As they enter the shade of the grove, I can almost imagine a cool breeze, the gentle sloshing of the sake, and its refreshing fragrance drifting through the air. When I have finished a stage of my work and sit in the shade outside the studio, drinking a glass of cold water, I find myself wondering what the packhorse driver of that time might have been thinking as he held the reins in the summer breeze among the trees.

 

From evening on, I carry sake in brown vials, the sake gently sloshing inside, while cooling my body, still heated from the day, and listening to the sounds of insects. It is still hot and humid… and yet the vermilion sky floats in the glass, and a pleasant breeze blows. With the beginning of autumn approaching, the vials and glasses begin to melt into the brown evening sky, and only now do I find myself thinking that perhaps it is time to hang a wind chime.”

 

― Masao Kozumi

PROFILE

Glass artist Masao Kozumi was born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1979. After graduating from the Toyama Institute of Glass Art, he began creating works in Toyama Prefecture in 2005. He is now based in Gifu Prefecture, where he primarily presents his work through solo exhibitions. Kozumi’s glass pieces are featured in the interior design of select ARTS & SCIENCE locations.

EVENT DETAILS

TITLE

Masao Kozumi “薬瓶 / Vials”

TOKYO

HIN / Arts & Science, Aoyama
August 28th (Friday) — September 7th (Monday) 2026 / 11:00 – 19:00
The Artist will be present on August 28th (Friday), August 29th (Saturday)
Closed on Tuesday

KYOTO

HIN / Arts & Science, Nijodori Kyoto
September 18th (Friday) — September 28th (Monday) 2026 / 12:00 – 18:00
The Artist will be present on September 18th (Friday), September 19th (Saturday)
Closed on Tuesday

FUKUOKA

A&S Fukuoka
October 16th (Friday) — October 26th (Monday) 2026 / 11:00 – 19:00
The Artist will be present on October 16th (Friday), October 17th (Saturday)
Closed on Tuesday

  • Due to preparations, HIN / Arts & Science, Aoyama will be temporarily closed on Thursday, August 27, HIN / Arts & Science, Nijodori Kyoto will be temporarily closed on Wednesday, September 16, Thursday, September 17.

  • For inquiries, please contact each shop directly or use our contact form.