Hitotoki 時 | Sayuri Fukuda Exhibition Recap

Hitotoki 時 | Sayuri Fukuda Exhibition Recap

Hitotoki 時 offered a rare opportunity to experience a large collection of work from Sayuri Fukuda and marked her first solo exhibition in Portland. The show brought together pieces from her recent time teaching at Pilchuck Glass School, alongside a broader collection of tableware we designed together. Each piece on display reflected Fukuda-san's charm and the quiet warmth of her craftsmanship.

Hosting this exhibition with Fukuda-san was made even more meaningful because of our connection since the beginning of Storied Objects. Before we opened the gallery and existed only as a small online shop, Sayuri Fukuda was the first artist I interviewed for our Journal (featured here). Over the years, we've continued to collaborate on new work, and this collection presented the perfect opportunity to highlight her work in a more focused way.  

At the center of the exhibition were her clear glass tableware, pieces marked by the purity and truth of the glassblowing process. The Tenohira Cup, meaning 'palm of the hand' in Japanese, featured on our exhibition poster, was a favorite. Its simple shape and light weight led multiple visitors to say, “This really is the perfect everyday cup.”

The glassblowing process requires swift action, intuition, and a willingness to let go. Unlike ceramics and woodworking, where there are multiple opportunities to correct a shape, glassblowers must live entirely in a single moment. The pieces that emerge from the annealer (kiln) are an honest representation of the artist's hands and the material's unforgiving nature. 

Beyond the clear glasswork, the exhibition offered an additional view into Fukuda-san’s practice with her white glasswork. Her Washi Vase and Ito Vases featured soft lines and an ethereal quality that shone brightly in our front windows.

These pieces revealed another side of her work: that beyond pure functionality, she seeks to create pieces that strengthen our relationship with material, light, and the natural world.

On a personal note, it was the first time we had exhibited an artist from out of town, so I was extra eager to showcase Portland in a good light. Since we had a longstanding relationship with Fukuda-san, it meant a lot to host her in our own home where we could let down our guard and get to know each other more.  

Exhibitions like this remind us why we do what we do: creating meaningful, lasting relationships. 

 

To everyone who visited, shared conversations with Fukuda-san, or took a piece home, thank you! And special thanks to Alba Betancourt, Nicholas Peter Wilson, and Barbara Rose Romaine and Paul Johnson of Satyr Fire.

Posted on September 28 2026

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