Hibi Glass Heat-resistant fractured glass & tame-nuri saucer
Crazed glass can be characterized by its unique fracture pattern that gradually changes over a period of approximately three years. In Japan, this glass is only manufactured at Hagi Glass Art Studio and its unique three-layer structure securely encloses the fractures so you don't have to worry about cracking in hot water. This item features an original design coupled with a Joboji Urushi saucer.
The town of Joboji in Ninohe City, Iwate, is Japan's largest producer of Urushi, or urushi, and accounts for approximately 80% of Japan's total domestic production. Renowned for its superior quality, Joboji Urushi is used on urushiware and urushi craftwork across Japan as well as for the repair and restoration of a large number of cultural assets, including the famous Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto and the Golden Hall of Chuson-ji Temple in Iwate Prefecture.
Urushi production was booming across Japan up until the Edo period however declined rapidly with the arrival of the Meiji era. Nearly 98% of all urushi currently used in Japan is produced overseas and it is no exaggeration to say that Joboji Urushi forms the last bastion of urushi in Japan. Japan was synonymous with urushi throughout the Middle Ages in Europe however the recent decline in the demand for urushiware and an aging of the craftsmen who tap the rare urushi has driven this art close to extinction. Today, in all of Japan, there remains only one craftsman who still manufacturers the tools for tapping the urushi resin.
Joboji Urushi Workshop was established in 2009 in order to make more people aware of and encourage more people to use Joboji urushi. Joboji Urushi was awarded the Good Design Award in 2011.
Urushiware crafted using urushi sourced from Joboji carries the label Joboji Urushiware. All the materials are produced locally, from the base timber right down to the urushi. Unfortunately, there is very little urushiware that still carries this label in modern day Japan. Here, an important part of Japanese culture is being preserved by passing on the superior local materials and a unique culture to future generations. Urushi tappers, timber craftsmen and urushi artisans are uniting and continue to ply their trade to keep this tradition alive.
The history of Hagi Glass began with a petition submitted by Hagi Clan member, Nakajima Jihei, designed to encourage industry in 1859. order In the following year, a glass workshop was set up in the southern gardens below Hagi Castle and production commenced once craftsmen were sourced from Edo and Osaka.
In the ensuing years, Hagi Glass gained status and was presented to nobles and the Emperor and came to be a prized commodity due to its superior quality. In 1866, however, the glass workshop was destroyed in a fire, and slipped into obscurity.
The current Hagi Glass Art Studio was established in 1992 where work started to reproduce pieces from that time based on old literature and surviving relics. Boasting superior craftsmanship and quality, Hagi Glass Art Studio is currently challenging new boundaries.
Glass at the Hagi Glass Art Studio is produced in the highest temperature range in Japan at 1520°C. Because it is fired at such high temperatures, Hagi Glass is more robust and harder than general soda glass. The subtle green coloration unique to Hagi Glass is the natural color of melted quartz basalt, which is high in iron content and can only be found on Mt. Kasa, an active volcano in Hagi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The color-free glass has been produced removing the coloration from the material and is also pure domestic product manufactured in Hagi. Crazed glass is another unique product coming out of Hagi Glass Art Studio and is the only domestically produced glass of its kind in Japan. Comprised of three layers of varying quality glass, it is a very unique product, completely enclosing the tiny fractures in the interior layers.
Product code: Hibi Glass Heat-resistant order fractured glass & tame-nuri saucer