島谷織流合作聯盟成員介紹_林盛火玉石工作室

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林盛火出生在花蓮鳳林鎮，一個在上世紀末被他稱為「沒落」的小村莊。然而在「沒落」以前，這裡曾經是1950-60年代時、因「台灣玉」的被發現而盛極一時的玉石寶地。因此，成長在那個年代，他從小就看村子裡的長輩處理玉石——這些長輩，甚至不從外地引進做玉技術，而是倚靠群體的討論，自己開創出許多技術系統，包括非常困難的「貓眼」技術。雖然當時的林盛火什麼也不懂，但也跟著把玩、蒐集，彷彿是一個在玉礦裡長大的孩子。

時序推移，台灣玉火紅了十年，卻在台灣整體經濟結構的劇變下瞬間沒落；採玉礦的成本越來越高，村莊裡的人，漸漸不再靠玉石維生。彼時的林盛火業已退伍、離鄉，去到台北，開始跟著金工師傅許添發學習珠寶工藝。這工藝讓他一學就是八年，累積了精湛的技術，才又輾轉回到花蓮。

小村莊的前世記憶卻好像被牽動了起來。隨著玉礦產業的沒落，其實做玉的人早已越來越少，林盛火回鄉後，卻遇到了少數還保留著做玉技術、與他同村的師傅姚順興。對玉礦的直覺與記憶好像一下子回來了，他開始向姚順興學習做玉，那些幾乎已被遺忘的技術，包括做「貓眼」的「蛋面」技術，在沒有太多人願意承接與學習的背景下，成了某種「末代技師」。然而，雖然玉礦技術與記憶已在村民們的生活中漸漸稀薄，村子裡的玉石蹤跡卻沒有消失過；近半世紀前被村民蓋起的玉石工廠，雖已全數荒廢，但是當林盛火走回村莊裡，卻發現，其實土地上，還有很多很好的石頭，只是已經很久都沒有人再撿起它們了。2008年，他開始在部落裡上研磨班、在大漢技術學院珠寶技術系當兼任老師，也結合過去學習的珠寶工藝與小村莊的土地記憶，回到林榮里開啟玉石工作室。

近年，隨著卑南遺址中1500多件玉石的被發現，鳳林鎮和林盛火彷彿迎來了台灣玉的今生。這些3000年前的玉石來源，原來就是近半世紀以前、村裡的人上山採玉礦的地方（平林遺址／支亞干遺址）；早在3000年前，這裡與玉礦就已有極深的淵源，它是一個發散點。如今，這裡做玉的人雖然越來越少，卻成了國家博物館相關研究的重要場址，林盛火也開始將玉石的技術與知識分享給這些研究機構，牽繫著台灣玉與家鄉悠遠的歷史時空。

這樣的經驗，也影響著林盛火的玉石作品。相較於其他地域製玉與審美的傳統、大多著重於細雕，當他拾起家鄉土地上的玉石時，卻有完全不同的想法。透過珠寶工藝，林盛火有時會在作品中加入一些轉化自台灣玉石脈絡的符號與寓意，然而對他而言，更重要的，依然還是將玉石原初的自然與美，保留並表現出來。

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Lin Sheng-huo was born in Hualien’s Fenglin Township, a small village he referred to as “declining” by the end of the last century. However, prior to this decline, it was once a renowned jadeite treasure trove during the 1950s and 1960s when Taiwan jade was discovered. Growing up in that era, he observed elders in the village handling jadeite from a young age—these elders relied not on imported techniques but on communal discussions to pioneer various technical systems, including the challenging “cat’s eye” technique. Although Lin knew little at the time, he played and collected jade as if he were a child growing up in a jade mine.

 

As time passed, Taiwan’s jadeite boomed for a decade but swiftly declined amid dramatic shifts in the island’s economic structure. Mining costs escalated, and villagers gradually ceased relying on jadeite for their livelihoods. By then, Lin had retired and left his hometown for Taipei, where he began learning jewelry craftsmanship under the mentorship of goldsmith Hsu Tien-fa. This apprenticeship spanned eight years, honing his skills to a high level before he eventually returned to Huatung.

 

The ancestral memories of the small village seemed to stir. Despite the decline of the jadeite mining industry and dwindling practitioners, Lin Sheng-huo encountered Yao Shun-hsing, one of the few remaining masters in the village who still preserved the jadeite crafting techniques. His intuitive connection and memories of jadeite mining returned instantly, prompting him to learn jadeite crafting from Yao, including almost forgotten techniques like the “egg-faced” method for creating “cat’s eye” jadeite. In an era where few were willing to undertake such learning, these masters became akin to “last generation artisans.” Yet, despite the thinning presence of jadeite techniques and memories among villagers, traces of jadeite in the village had never completely disappeared. Though the jadeite factories built by villagers nearly half a century ago now lay abandoned, Lin Sheng-huo discovered many excellent stones still waiting to be unearthed upon his return to the village. In 2008, he began teaching grinding classes in the tribal community and served as a part-time teacher in the Jewelry Technology Department at Da-Han Institute of Technology, combining his learned jewelry craft with memories of the village land to establish a jadeite studio in Linrong Village.

 

In recent years, with the discovery of over 1,500 jadeite pieces at the Peilin Site/Zhiyagan Site in the Puyuma Ruins, Fenglin Township and Lin Sheng-huo seem to have welcomed a renaissance of Taiwan jadeite. These jadeite sources dating back 3,000 years were once the mountains where villagers mined jadeite nearly half a century ago. This historical connection with jadeite mines from 3,000 years ago shows a deep-rooted bond with the region as a dispersal point. Today, while jadeite craftsmen are increasingly scarce, Fenglin Township has become an important site for the National Museum’s related research. Lin Sheng-huo has begun sharing his jadeite crafting techniques and knowledge with these research institutions, bridging Taiwan jadeite with its distant historical and temporal context.

 

Such experiences have influenced Lin Sheng-huo’s jadeite works. In contrast to traditional jadeite crafting and aesthetic practices in other regions, which often emphasize intricate carving, when Lin picks up jadeite from his hometown land, he approaches it with a completely different mindset. Through jewelry craftsmanship, Lin Sheng-huo sometimes incorporates symbols and meanings derived from Taiwan jadeite contexts into his works. However, for him, the paramount focus remains on preserving and expressing the natural beauty and essence of jadeite.