Japanese traditional - kiriko

Glassware that sparkles and glints.... this is the Japanese cut glass known as KIRIKO. And KIRIKO ware makes a beautiful setting for Japanese cuisine. The gleam of hte transparent glass conveys a refreshing sense of coolness. At the same time , it makes the whole meal seem more elegant. There are two main types of traditional KIRIKO.


One is called EDO-KIRIKO. It was made during the 19th century in EDO-the old name for TOKYO. The distinguishing make of EDO-KIRIKO is the smoothness of the cuts. Take a closer look, and you can see that the edges are rounded.

The other is SATUMA-KIRIKO, which was made in SATUMA-the old name for KAGOSIMA prefecture. Unlike the clear EDO-KIRIKO, SATUMA-KIKIKO often featured coloured glass, usually red or blue. One of the distinguishing features of SATUMA-KIRIKO is a gradation effect known as BOKASI. If you examine the facets of this glass, you can see that the red colouration gradually fades into the clear glass. This BOKASI technique originated in Japan.

Now days, the cutting process is done with rotating disc-shaped grinding wheel. The cuts are produced by placing the piece of glassware against the edge of grinding wheel. There are two layers of glass: one coloured and the other transparent. As you grind away the cuter layer of coloured glass, the inner layer of clear glass appears.

This is the secret to creating complex decorative patterns. It was not until the middle of the 16th century that European glass arrived in Japan in significant quantities. When the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier came to Japan, he presented items made of glass, including eyeglasses-to Japan's powerful figures. Later the techniques for making cut glass were introduced to Japan, and cut-glass products began to be made domestically. Back then, rods of iron and wood were used for making the cuts. And abrasive slurry was applied to the glass as the artisans carefully made incisions into it. Grinding glass without any mechanical assistance was a task that required long perseverance. It was thanks to the effected highly skilled artisans that cut glass, a craft introduced from abroad, was steadily adapted and became a district element of Japanese culture.