Watanabe Akira was born in Kobe City in 1959 and is a glass artist based in Kyoto. After graduating from Kyoto University in 1984, he studied at the Glass School in Kramsach, Austria. He is known for his “sekisō kiriko” (laminated cut glass) technique: patterns are engraved between multiple sheets of plate glass, gold, platinum, colored glass, and other materials are sandwiched between them and fused in an electric kiln, and after forming, the piece is cut using kiriko techniques and painstakingly polished. The gold lines sealed within the layers of glass waver depending on the viewing angle, producing reflections and depth unique to a transparent material. He has twice received the Japan Kōgei Association Chairman’s Prize at the Japan Traditional Crafts Exhibition (1992 and 2004), and was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2008. He is a holder of an Intangible Cultural Property designated by Kyoto Prefecture and a director of the Japan Kōgei Association.