Kazumi Noguchi completed her graduate studies in glass at Tama Art University. For about 16 years, she worked in glass while also running HAKOYA, her leather bag label built on traditional stitching techniques. In 2024 she closed HAKOYA to focus entirely on glass.

From her studio in Saitama, she makes vessels in pâte de verre, a casting technique that dates back to ancient Mesopotamia. Powdered glass is packed into a plaster mold and fired in a kiln, a slow, hands-on process that one person can carry through alone. Few artists in Japan work this way today.

Her pieces are known for the fine bubbles that form in the firing and a soft translucency that seems to hold light within the glass. Clear yet warm, they change with the light of the day and bring a gentle glow to the table.