Edo Kiriko is a glass product made by craftsmen who cut each piece one by one. To create this delicate and dazzling beauty, craftsmen spend every day working on Edo Kiriko, honing their skills and sense.

Each workshop and craftsman has their own style, and there are even some craftsmen who can tell who made the work just by looking at it. No matter how much experience they have, they never rest on their laurels, but rather think about how to finish the glass material in front of them beautifully and work with their hands. It's a tough but wonderful world.

Here we introduce the story surrounding the "craftsmen" who are essential to the one-of-a-kind Edo Kiriko.

The defining feature of "Edo Kiriko" is the cutting of various patterns, including traditional designs. Many of them are combined, but some are simply expressed in a single pattern.

One example is the original product that Muromachi Glass Crafts has been working on since the winter of 2020. We aim to create a simple and modern design using a single traditional pattern so that it is easy for people who are trying Edo Kiriko for the first time or who have no experience with traditional Japanese crafts to purchase.

The second original product in the series, a rock glass and tumbler called "Yuisen" is one of them. The design was inspired by the "Sensuji" pattern used in dyeing kimonos and other fabrics.

The craftsmen use a special machine called a "diamond wheel" to cut the lines evenly at intervals of about 3 mm. When the light hits the straight vertical lines, they emit a cool, dignified light. According to the craftsmen, this technique of cutting evenly and smoothly is the most difficult and important point in creating beauty.

"Yuisen" would not shine as it does without the hands of a craftsman. There are two main reasons for this.

First, glass pieces that look the same at first glance will have slight differences in shape and thickness. This is because Edo Kiriko glass pieces are made by specialized craftsmen, one by one, breathing life into them. As a result, individual differences are inevitable. Making the most of these individual differences while creating beautiful cuts is a skill only accomplished by skilled handwork. Edo Kiriko craftsmen cut with subtlety to suit each type of glass piece, striving to achieve a finish that makes the most of the charms of both.

Another feature is the sharp cut edges that can only be achieved by hand. In fact, this is not possible with machines. When creating a pattern on the surface of glass, a process called "pressing" is used, in which hot, syrup-like glass is poured into a mold with various grooves engraved into it to form the shape. Because hot glass has extremely high viscosity, if the mold is too fine, the glass will not penetrate all the way into the grooves, and the end result will be rounded corners. In the case of "Yuisen," we wanted to achieve a fine, uniform sharpness of about 3 mm, so the handwork of an artisan was essential.

The fine, evenly engraved stripes are ruined if the craftsman shakes his hand even a little. This is why the craftsman works with complete concentration, almost holding his breath. It is only through such effort and high skill that the beauty that "YUDEN" pursues can take shape.

Edo Kiriko glass is a joy to hold in your hands and take the time to look at. Behind it, you can see the presence of craftsmen who are passionate about their work.