Hagino Noriko works with a technique called hagiawase, metal forging and heat welding, which she learned from Living National Treasure Sekiya Shirō (1907-1994). Intrigued by Sekiya’s works, Hagino became an apprentice in Sekiya’s studio upon graduating from Musashino Art Junior College. From the inception of her design to the arduous process of hammering metal, Hagino takes almost six months to complete each project. She uses the natural hues of the metals as colors to create fluid patterns on her work, silver becoming white, copper becoming red, and an alloy of a mix of gold and copper becoming gold.