Sea Glass Story *8 Work 7: Sea Glass Horse (The Culmination)
The manager of a restaurant I was introduced to by sea glass from Hakodate.
After that, they were truly kind to me, not just at the restaurant, but by inviting me out for meals as well.
Even on the restaurant's days off,
"It's just leftovers, so don't worry about it, just eat," they would say,
inviting me to the restaurant many times.
And that manager, that year, watched horse racing in Hakodate—my main line of work—in person for the first time,
and told me, "I was so moved."
Now, they tell me they love horses and the people involved with them.
—
My business trip to Hakodate lasted about a month.
Before returning home, I wanted to give a gift to the manager who had taken such good care of me.
But, honestly, I didn't have the money to buy a present.
That's when I came up with the idea
of giving them a piece of sea glass art.
They love horses.
And the manager had also grown to love sea glass.
"In that case, this is the only choice."
Thinking that, I started making
the Sea Glass Horse.
—
It started with making the shape of a horse out of wire.
Since horses are a part of my daily life,
I didn't make a draft; I just formed the shape based on the image in my head.
Actually, I think it would have been easier to make it standing still.
But I really,
really wanted to make a "running horse."
I decided to challenge myself with a difficult shape.
—
As the culmination of my Hakodate business trip,
I used all the sea glass I had collected up to that point.
For what I was missing, I went to the beach during my lunch break and after work,
desperately picking it up.
And that is how this piece was completed.
I left the inside hollow
and installed a rainbow-glowing light.
(You can also change the colors with a remote control.)
Because it didn't have stability due to the running pose,
I used a mirror as a stand to secure it.
—
It just so happened that it was also the birthday of the manager's son that day,
so I gave it to them as a combined gift.
They were very happy with it.
Of course, since it was a thank-you gift, I didn't need any money.
However, half-jokingly,
I asked, "By the way, how much would you pay for this?"
and the manager said,
"Hundreds of thousands of yen... no, it's worth even more than that."
Haha.
—
What you could call sea trash, picked up on the beach in Hakodate.
I never imagined it would be reborn in such a form.
By the way, on this day too,
I received a free meal as usual. Haha.
—
The encounters that sea glass brought my way
became something worth more than money.
And actually, this story isn't over yet.
The sea glass works and the story
will continue on.
If you'd like, please come back and take a look again.
Additional edits from May 2026
You can now watch the "Sea Glass Horse"
in a YouTube Short video👇
Next article👇