Clear and coloured glass

There are two main types of glass used in Kiriko.

The first is colorless and transparent "clear glass."
The second type is "colored glass," represented by blue and red.
It has a double structure with colored glass on the outside and clear glass on the inside.
There are various manufacturing methods,
Blow colored glass into the mold,
It is common to blow clear glass on the inside.

Kiriko began with transparent glass

Edo Kiriko was originally made from clear glass.
The roots of Kiriko are in European cut glass,
Because it is made of clear crystal glass.

For a long time, Venice, Italy, was the center of glass manufacturing in Europe.
In the mid-15th century, he invented a colorless, transparent glass called "cristallo."
In the 16th to 18th centuries, imitations of Venetian cut glass began to be produced in various European countries.
The center of glass production shifted to Bohemia (now the western Czech Republic) and England.

Lead glass is mainly used for Edo Kiriko.
It was invented in England in the late 17th century.
It is relatively soft and easy to process, and has a high refractive index,
It shines brightly. By cutting,
Because this further enhances the brilliance of the stone, many stones were actively cut in the 18th and 19th centuries in England.

Colored glass that became synonymous with Kiriko

Cut glass using colored glass is
It is often seen in 19th century Bohemian glass.
At the same time, colored glass began to be produced in the Satsuma region of Japan, and colored glass gradually began to spread to Japan.
In Edo, the introduction of foreign technology led to
is said to have been established.

In addition, from the Taisho period to the early Showa period, a modern civic culture that combined Japanese and Western styles, known as "Taisho culture/Showa modern," began to flourish.
Cut glass, following the European trend, became popular.
After that, the number of Kiriko craftsmen decreased due to the war,
The temporary decline that accompanied this, changes in the industrial structure, material development,
Technological developments and other events came together.
Before long, Kiriko became synonymous with luxury goods.
Among these, an increasing number of people began to associate colored glass with Kiriko.

Soda glass is a popular material for colored glass.
It is mainly used for tableware, windows, bottles, etc.
It is named "soda" because sodium carbonate is used as an ingredient.
It is thought to be the first glass made in ancient times, and is characterized by its high transparency, hardness, and lightness.
Our shop also carries cut glass pieces made from soda-lime glass.