In the journey of MasPender., the encounter with Youichi Fukasawa was an event that profoundly changed our approach to craftsmanship.

To meet an artisan of exceptional skill, to respect that skill, and to shape new possibilities for natural stones and jewelry through that relationship. This accumulation of experience has led to the way MasPender. creates today.

On this page, we introduce the path of Youichi Fukasawa, the encounter between him and MasPender., and the background that led us to take on the challenge of presenting our work together in Paris.

The Encounter with Youichi Fukasawa

In 2020, MasPender. began its journey as a jewelry brand.

As the brand grew, one of the challenges faced by producer Masumi Akiyama was improving the production environment.

In order to bring ideal jewelry creations to life, it was essential to find a workshop with advanced technical skill, and one to which important work could be entrusted with confidence. Whenever challenges arose, Akiyama continued searching for a reliable production environment.

Through a certain connection, Akiyama was given the opportunity to visit the workshop of Youichi Fukasawa. From that moment, the relationship between Fukasawa and MasPender. began.

At the time, the brand had only been established for one year. Akiyama had been involved in jewelry production for less than three years. To her, Youichi Fukasawa ? the developer of Koshu Kiseki Kiriko, a traditional craftsman, a Yamanashi-certified Jewelry Master, and a first-class gem polishing artisan with numerous qualifications, certifications, and awards ? was truly an extraordinary, almost unreachable figure.

At first, even handling Fukasawa’s works felt like something far beyond what the brand deserved.

Yet at the same time, Masumi Akiyama felt a strong conviction. By using Fukasawa’s gemstone works, MasPender.’s jewelry could reach even greater heights, and the emotion born from that beauty could be delivered to MasPender.’s customers.

That belief brought tremendous passion to Akiyama’s approach to creation.

From this period onward, through Youichi Fukasawa and the production environment surrounding him, MasPender.’s jewelry-making techniques advanced dramatically.

Masumi Akiyama began to envision MasPender. not simply as a jewelry brand, but as a brand that could create new value in jewelry while also contributing to the appreciation, support, and development of artisans.

We want to bring the genius of Youichi Fukasawa to the world. And we want MasPender. to become a brand capable of achieving that goal.

This encounter became the starting point for MasPender.’s next chapter.

Profile of Youichi Fukasawa

Youichi Fukasawa is a master lapidary and crystal sculptor based in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan.

For more than 30 years, he has worked closely with natural stones, creating works that merge traditional techniques with a contemporary sense of form.

Since entering the path of gemstone polishing in 1987, he has established advanced techniques in three-dimensional carving, gemstone cutting, and jewelry processing. He is especially known for sculptural expressions that make use of the internal structure of stones and the refraction of light.

He has also contributed to the creation and development of Koshu Kiseki Kiriko, establishing a unique technique that draws out new beauty without diminishing the value of the gemstone itself.

Today, while leading his own workshop, he also devotes himself to training the next generation through educational institutions.

The Appeal of Youichi Fukasawa

The Fusion of Gemstone Polishing and Sculpture

At the heart of Fukasawa’s works lies his mastery of both gemstone polishing and sculpture.

Gemstone polishing is the technique of drawing out the fullest possible light from a stone. Sculpture is the technique of giving life to form itself.

Fukasawa does not treat these two processes separately. Instead, he designs them as one unified expression within a single work. Object-like pieces composed of flowing curves, and gemstone works that seem to contain light within them, are born from this fusion of techniques.

Sculptural Technique That Creates Fluid Forms

Although Fukasawa works with hard crystal, his crystal sculptures give the impression of a soft, almost pliable material.

Smooth curves like clay. Organic, uninterrupted lines. Forms carved without destroying the transparency inside the stone.

His ability to handle crystal ? a fragile and difficult material ? as if it were fluid requires an extremely advanced level of skill. The softness that makes one forget the hardness of stone, together with the transparency inherent to natural crystal, is what gives Fukasawa’s sculptures their remarkable appeal.

The Innovation of Koshu Kiseki Kiriko

One of Fukasawa’s signature techniques is Koshu Kiseki Kiriko.

On the front surface, facets draw out the brilliance of the gemstone. On the back surface, kiriko-inspired cuts create a sculptural pattern.

Through this two-layer structure of front and back, light and shadow are born inside the gemstone. Depending on the viewing angle, patterns appear within the stone, giving each gem a one-of-a-kind expression.

Koshu Kiseki Kiriko requires designs measured in hundredths of a millimeter, dozens of polishing processes, an accuracy that allows no deviation, and deep knowledge of the characteristics of many different gemstones.

It is not merely a craft technique, but a field where optical design and hand craftsmanship are fused.

While ordinary gemstone cuts reflect light in a single direction, Koshu Kiseki Kiriko allows the kiriko pattern on the reverse side to emerge from within the gemstone, offering the viewer a new kind of wonder.

The Growth of MasPender. and the Road to Paris

In less than three years from its launch, MasPender. grew into a brand receiving bespoke jewelry commissions exceeding 10 million yen.

Eventually, plans began for a MasPender. exhibition in Paris, France.

In its fifth year, the brand also achieved a bespoke jewelry creation using red diamonds ? an accomplishment reached by only an extremely limited number of jewelry brands in the world.

In October 2025, Masumi Akiyama traveled to Paris for meetings regarding the MasPender. jewelry exhibition. At that time, she had a quiet plan in mind.

It was not only to exhibit MasPender. jewelry, but also to present jewelry using gemstone works by Youichi Fukasawa, together with his crystal sculpture works.

To introduce Youichi Fukasawa not only as a craftsman, but also as an artist, to the artistic capital of Paris. This was the great vision Akiyama held.

Around the same time, in November 2025, Youichi Fukasawa received the news that he would be awarded the Medal with Yellow Ribbon for his contributions to the jewelry industry and his outstanding craftsmanship.

Receiving this honor in his fifties was an extraordinary achievement within the industry.

During a celebratory dinner for Fukasawa’s Medal with Yellow Ribbon, Akiyama shared the report of her meetings in Paris. She also expressed her desire to create an era in which the works born from Fukasawa’s hands would be properly recognized.

In response to that wish, Fukasawa agreed to participate in the Paris exhibition.

The Craftsmanship of MasPender. and Youichi Fukasawa

MasPender. creates jewelry with the aim of reaching the highest possible expression of gemstones.

To bring forth jewelry that offers a sense of wonder not yet known to the world. This is MasPender.’s approach to creation.

Youichi Fukasawa, meanwhile, imagines the highest possible expression of the gemstone material itself, imbuing each stone with a beauty that no one else can create, and bringing new emotion into the world.

MasPender. and Youichi Fukasawa. What they share is the attitude of striving for the very best in every single piece of work, continuing to be creators who move people and help shape a new era.

Masumi Akiyama and Keita Ando of MasPender. say that on their way home after visiting Fukasawa’s atelier for the first time, they resolved to dedicate their lives to jewelry.

The relationship between Youichi Fukasawa and MasPender. is not simply that of an artisan and a brand. It is also a challenge to see how their respective aspirations can resonate through their works and reach the world.

Our Thoughts on Exhibiting in Paris

MasPender. has two distinct aspects as a brand.

One is its side as a creator of bespoke jewelry using rare stones such as red diamonds, built upon a foundation of trust.

The other is its side as a brand that continues to take on new challenges, elevating the beauty of natural stones into the realm of jewelry.

This Paris exhibition is a new attempt that fully expresses MasPender.’s “challenging” side.

To present the beauty of natural stones as jewelry during Paris Fashion Week, a place where dreams from the global fashion industry gather, is an exceptionally rare challenge for a Japanese natural stone shop.

In this exhibition, MasPender. will unveil its latest work, “Six Sacred Drops of the Soul,” which elevates the magatama ? an ancient Japanese protective form ? into jewelry.

We will also present “Wings of Wisdom,” a piece that carries Youichi Fukasawa’s painstaking Koshu Kiseki Kiriko to the chest through the wings of an owl, revealing the beauty of Japanese gemstone polishing and traditional technique.

Youichi Fukasawa, who joins us in this exhibition, is one of Japan’s foremost artisans, both as a contemporary gemstone polishing master and as a traditional craftsman.

Presenting Fukasawa’s works in Europe for the first time, in the artistic capital of Paris, carries great potential for a future in which Japanese artisans are recognized and active as artists on the world stage.