Rikie Shojiguchi is a glass artist with a studio in Toyama Prefecture.
Under the concept of “gentle, soft, and comfortable.
, she continues to create attractive vessels with a delicate whiteness expressed by cutting glass and a unique touch that is comfortable to the skin.

Why is Toyama glass famous?

Toyama is famous for its “Toyama no kusuri (medicine seller), ” and in order to support Toyama’s pharmaceutical culture, which has a history of over 300 years, the manufacture of glass bottles to hold medicines flourished in and around Toyama City during the Meiji and Taisho eras, with the city boasting the largest share in the nation’s market. Such historical background has created rich resources and developed Toyama into a city of glass. Toyama is said to be one of the world’s leading glass cities, with a favorable environment that includes research institutes that foster glass artists and ateliers that support their production. In such a glass town of Toyama City, there is a studio called “Shojiguchiya” run by Rikie Kojiguchi. Shojiguchi-ya is a glass studio in Toyama City, a town known for its glass . Ms. Shojiguchi-ya creates glass works that fit the skin and are comfortable to wear. Ms. Kojiguchi is a glass artist who has received many awards in Toyama and other parts of Japan, as well as internationally. The unique and gentle look of the glass works she creates will surely convince anyone of the concept behind her work.

The Road to Becoming a Glass Artist

Ms. Kojiguchi says that she enjoyed watching glass artisans blowing glass and their work processes. His admiration for glass was accelerated when the Toyama Glass Art Institute was established while he was still in high school. However, at the time, he did not have the knowledge or skills to take the entrance exam for the Toyama Institute of Glass Art, so he decided to go to an art school first, and enrolled in Toyama College of Art and Craft. Around the time he graduated from the school, his longing for glass, which he had felt in his high school days, was rekindled when he stopped by the Toyama Glass Studio. As soon as I saw the glass-making process, I thought to myself , “I want to do this! At that moment, he decided to take the entrance exam for the Toyama Glass Art Institute. After a year of intense study, he successfully fulfilled his high school dream and received a ticket to the Toyama City Institute of Glass Art. Looking back, he says he could not forget the feeling of “the texture of filing wood” when he made a chair in one of his classes at the institute. This experience may have influenced his choice of glass as a material to create by touching and looking with his hands.

The Appeal of Kojiguchi’s Glass Works

The appeal of Kojiguchi’s glass is its gentle white color and unique texture. At first, Mr. Kojiguchi made colored glass works because of the tendency to sell only colored glass. However, he found that this did not allow him to show his playfulness with shapes. She then began to make works without color, as she does now, and the reputation of her work at solo exhibitions and other venues was unexpectedly high. And more than anything else, the works were comfortable and satisfying for her to make.

In creating her works, Ms. Kojiguchi places importance on the five senses of “sight,” “touch,” and “hearing. The glass that Mr. Kojiguchi finishes with his unique senses, not only by blowing glass but also by shaving and polishing, seems to embody the key to his creation, “Seeing with the hands. The glass seems to embody the key concept of his work, “to see with the hands”. This is how the glass has a smooth feel that cannot be felt with other types of glass.

When you pour sake, whiskey, or other alcoholic beverages into the carefully crafted “Hatsuri” glass, you will enjoy not only the taste but also the feel of the glass. The warmth of the glass is sure to be useful as a gift for anniversaries such as wedding gifts and kanreki (60th birthday).

In this way, Kojiguchi’s glass works add warmth to our lives. We are sure that she will continue to provide us with ” gentle, soft, and comfortable ” space with her unique touch and gentle colors. She will continue to give us a space that is “gentle, soft, and comfortable” with her unique touch and gentle colors.

I aim to create works that warm the hearts of those who use them, valuing not only the sense of sight but also the feeling of touch. Glassware comes alive only when people use it in their daily lives. We would be happy if you could use them a lot without putting them away and bring smiles and happy moments to your life.

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Fewer and Fewer Glass Blowing Workshops Today

In the 1950s, there were more than 50 glass studios in Tokyo. One of them is Tajima Glass, established in 1956 in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo.

Tajima Glass Co., Ltd. is a workshop that handles “Edo glass,” which has been handed down since the Edo period (1603-1868). Edo glass is handmade using traditional techniques from the Edo period (1603-1868), and when it is faceted, it becomes Edo faceted glass.

Edo faceting is so famous that it is now designated as a “traditional craft” by the national government, making it highly valuable to preserve for the future.

Fuji glass” that triggered its popularity

My grandfather, who was a watchman, started his own business. He started by renting a workshop at first. In the old days, coal was indispensable for glass production, so many workshops were built along riverside areas where it was convenient to transport coal,” says President Daisuke Tajima.

When we visited the workshop, we found many craftsmen sweating and blowing glass in the old-fashioned kiln. The company continues to produce traditional Edo faceted glass, but it is the “Fujiyama Series” in the shape of Mount Fuji that has made Tajima Glass Co. The company’s beer glasses, sake cups, rocks glasses, and other drinking glasses are popular as souvenirs among foreigners.

Fuji was registered as a World Heritage site, the hotel asked us to make some glasses for them. Fuji was registered as a World Heritage site. At first, we made beer glasses, and they were such a hit that we made a series of them. Thanks to your support, we are now in such a state that we can’t keep up with production.

In this way, the company is not limited to traditional Edo faceted glass, but is also focusing on glasses that are fashionable for everyday use in the shape of Mt.

Evolving the quality of glass and bringing it into the modern age

The showroom displays a variety of glassware, from traditional Edo faceted glass to custom-made products. The ability to respond to a wide range of orders is one of the strengths of Tajima Glass, which makes its products by hand.

Tajima Glass is able to meet a wide range of orders, which is one of the strengths of the company. I believe that we must protect this technology, even in these difficult times for glass,” he said emphatically.

His passionate wish for more people to be able to easily pick up glassware is probably the main motivation for him to continue making various products even in this difficult situation.

Traditional techniques are necessary to create the unique beauty of glass. It also requires the passion and ideas of craftspeople to keep it alive in the modern age. The combination of reliable techniques and the passion of craftsmen who want their products to be used by people of all generations is the driving force behind Tajima Glass Co. We look forward to seeing Tajima Glass continue to use its traditional techniques to bring new ideas to life.

You can also read more about Tajima Glass here.

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Walnuts” are indescribable for their gentle color and warmth when held in the hand. They have a delicious flavor and are good for beauty. Just their presence alone is enough to make one’s heart warm. Glass Studio Orange” produces glass that embodies the charm of walnuts. We asked them about the secret to their warm and inviting creations.

A glass studio nestled in the quaint scenery of an inn town

Tomi City is located in the eastern part of Nagano Prefecture. This small city with a population of about 30,000 people boasts the largest production of walnuts in Japan. It is walnuts. Currently, 99% of the walnuts distributed in Japan are from foreign countries, so domestically produced walnuts are extremely valuable and expensive. The market distribution volume has decreased due to price competition with walnuts imported from overseas. However, the city of Tomi City is proud to be the largest producer of walnuts in Japan, and is working hard to expand production and further brand the walnuts produced in Tomi City. In this town, there is a glass studio that uses walnuts, a local specialty, to make products unique to the city of Tomi, called “Glass Studio Orange,” which opened in the city in 1999. The head of the studio, Masaki Teranishi, is from Maruko Town (now Ueda City), a neighboring city of Tomi City.

Mr. Teranishi has always loved making things. Since he was a high school student, he has tried his hand at making various kinds of things, including pottery. Among them, glass was the one that interested him the most. The more he learned about the process of making glass, the more interesting it became, and the more he learned, the more he wanted to pursue this career.

Mr. Teranishi learned glass-making techniques by assisting glass artists in their studios. He chose a glass manufacturing company in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, as his place of employment. He was so absorbed in glass that it was a natural progression for him to leave his job, return to his hometown, and set up his own studio. More than 20 years after opening the kiln, he says with a laugh, “I still feel the same way I did then, and I find myself continuing to make glass without stopping. He says with a laugh.

Unnojuku, where Teranishi’s studio is located, once prospered as a post town on the Kitakuni Highway, and even today, the landscape is an important preservation area for groups of traditional buildings, with water running through the center of the road and beautiful houses lined up on both sides with lattice doors.

Orange is a renovated workshop in a row-house gate that blends in with this atmospheric scenery. A gallery and café have been added so that visitors can pick up the products and even purchase them here. The warmth of the shop name comes from the color of the flames inside the kiln where the glass is heated, and is also meant to symbolize the hope that the glass will continue to be used for generations to come.

Walnut glass is a pale, beautiful natural color

As mentioned above, Walnut Glass®, made from walnuts, a local specialty, is a registered trademark of this studio. By mixing the ashes of burned walnut shells with sand, the raw material for the glass, a unique light greenish color is produced. The greenish color is not too strong, but rather a gentle hue, a color that can only be expressed by natural materials.

However, walnut glass cannot be mass-produced due to its limited materials, and only a small percentage of the glass products made at the studio are produced. In order to run a glass studio, one must not only produce tableware such as vessels and glasses, but also zodiac signs, glasswork, and other products that meet the wishes of the customers to whom they deliver.

Of course, he has his own ideal style from his long career as a craftsman, but his motto is to create the most suitable form for the scene of use, from delicate and sharp to chunky and warm, and even ornaments intended to be displayed, and within that category, he adds his “character I will add “character” within that category. If I could, I would make only walnut glass, transparent glass, and tableware. We are like a manufacturer, so we make whatever our clients want. Teranishi says. A handmade order process chart using a calendar hung in the workshop was filled with the status of orders.

Updates that continue even after nearly 20 years

Teranishi’s workshop is also home to a gallery, so everything from production to purchase is done under his own watchful eye. This allows him to listen to the reactions of buyers, see how they react to his products, and use the discoveries to update and improve his products. In addition, over the years, we have gained a better understanding of production. In particular, if the size is wrong, it takes a lot of time and effort to correct it, so it can be said that setup is vital in glass production. Gradually, he became able to think logically about the process. The accumulation of such efforts has raised the technical system, and now adjustments through secondary processing are almost no longer necessary.

From “Interesting” to “Rewarding” and “Life’s Purpose

Incidentally, Mr. Teranishi’s studio mainly makes glass using the air-blown method. Although he does use some casting techniques, such as stretching heated glass, he basically uses the air-blown method. The reason why Mr. Teranishi insists on air-blowing is purely because it is an interesting process. The dynamism of the work, which is completed in a matter of seconds, and the satisfaction he gets from each step of the process, make it the perfect style for him.

It has been about 20 years since he set up his workshop, but he says that even so, he has never made exactly the same piece of work. That is the beauty of handmade work, and sometimes he is able to create something that is far beyond his imagination and that he is proud of, which makes it worthwhile and makes him want to keep doing it. For Mr. Teranishi, this job has become a way of life. As the name of the company suggests, he is working hard every day to ensure that the workshop will continue to exist for generations to come.

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Art Village Created in an Environment Rich in Nature

Nakagawa Village in Kamiina-gun, Nagano Prefecture, overlooking the Japanese Alps. It is a village rich in nature with a pristine landscape that has been called the most beautiful village in Japan. However, it is not widely known that Nakagawa Village also has another aspect as an art village. Various artists, including painters, woodworkers, art framers, and glassworkers, live and have their studios here. In addition to the government’s active promotion of the affinity with art, such as by introducing artists’ activities, the rich natural environment may have stimulated creativity, resulting in the establishment of a culture in which the community and art coexist. The activities of a diverse range of artists also motivate people who are considering moving to the area from a cultural perspective, such as art and production, and this has directly led to an increase in the number of young people moving to the area.

Roots in glass as hippie artwork

Mr. and Mrs. Taira, who have “STUDIO PREPA,” a studio that makes tableware, vases, and other household items using air-blown glass, are another couple who fell in love with the atmosphere of Nakagawa Village and moved to the area. The scenery, which changes its expression at sunrise, sunset, and different times of the day, is extremely beautiful. They decided to move to the area because they felt at home in such an original landscape. However, contrary to the scenery, when you step into the workshop, it looks like an American garage with piles of American-made daily necessities.

That is as it should be. The roots of the Taira couple’s work lie in the hippie culture of the 1970s. The glass works of Mr. and Mrs. Taira, which follow the technique of air-blowing that was popularized as hippie artwork, have a warmth and stylish outline that is distinctly different from the old Japanese-made glass. In addition to being handled mainly by major select stores such as Ron Herman and Margaret Howell, they have received many inquiries from popular restaurants in Japan and abroad. They also participate in craft fairs in the U.S. so as not to neglect their studies to update their ideal style. Based in Yosemite National Park, they stay there for several weeks, sometimes more than a month, to experience the local atmosphere firsthand, which leads to inspiration for their work.

Home Decor in the U.S.A.

Did you know that the U.S. is a leader in glass crafts? From windows and cups to smartphones, glassware is so much a part of people’s lives that it would be difficult to live without touching it. In Japan, there are traditional glass crafts such as faceted glass and beadlocks, and if you look around the world, you will find that glassware is widely used in all regions, from traditional crafts such as Venetian glass and Turkish lamps to famous glassworks such as Galle, Baccarat, and Swarovski. Although the United States does not seem to be a leader in glassware, it is the leader in the field of home décor, he says.

Aiming for warmth expressed through glass

Home décor refers to tableware, vases for arranging flowers, and other products that add color to daily life. The Taira’s workshop also makes tableware and glassware, as well as vases, lampshades, and other glassware designed for use in daily life. The glassware made by Mr. and Mrs. Taira is particular about its thickness. They once received a wooden glass from a friend, and when they drank water from it, they were astonished at how delicious it tasted. She then tried drinking water from a glass cup she had around her in the same way. However, the water was somewhat spiky. I wondered why, since the water came from the same faucet, but the cause seemed to be the shape of the drinking cup. The thin, dignified glass was beautiful to look at, but it did not make the usual drink taste even better, like a wooden cup. After realizing this, I began to think that I wanted to make glassware that expressed the warmth of wood.

Completed when it is filled, that is our policy.

The products made based on this policy are completed when the contents are added. The glassware must be at least 20% empty when it is just a container, otherwise it will be too hot when the contents are added, whether water or flowers,” says Mr. and Mrs. Taira. Mr. and Mrs. Taira.

Since the dishes are used in daily life, they are not meaningful only as vessels. They believe that glassware that brings out the best of the materials is what they should make.

Another thing that Mr. and Mrs. Taira are committed to is to stick to a style that can only be achieved by air-blowing, and to products that can only be made by air-blowing. They sometimes use cold work such as mosaic or fusing to express colors (cold work is made of hardened glass, as opposed to hot work made of molten hot glass such as air-blown glass), but they do this only to add value to their creativity, and they do not stray far from that category. I try not to stray too far from that category. Although we have been doing nothing but air-blowing for nearly 20 years now, there is still a lot that we don’t know about manufacturing and its characteristics. But that is what makes it interesting for them, according to Mr. and Mrs. Taira. The world of glass is so deep that even the two of them, whose products are recognized for their excellence not only in Japan but also around the world, have not yet fully grasped it. The inquisitive minds of Mr. and Mrs. Taira, who want to learn all they can about this world, will continue to produce even more wonderful products.

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