57 | History of Glass: Japanese Glass Manufacturers, Handmade Glass Factories 27

Hello🎵 I will be talking about the glass factories in Hungary, Poland, and Romania, from which Kamei Glass imported and developed products.

Currently, most of these factories have gone bankrupt or out of business, making the techniques and designs from that time rare and valuable.

In Hungary, there was a factory called Ajka Crystal. Incidentally, Ajka is a place name, just as Herend, famous for its pottery, is from the village of Herend, so Ajka refers to the glass from the village of Ajka. Ajka was known for its handmade crystal and cased glass, as well as the skilled hand-cutting techniques of its artisans. Around 2000 (Heisei 12), beautifully cut crystal wine glasses were imported and sold at affordable prices, around 3500 to 4000 yen for a pair, making them immensely popular as wedding favors and gifts. Glass sets with grape patterns cut into cased glass, similar to Edo Kiriko, were also popular, selling for around 10,000 yen. A few years later, labor costs increased, and production was shifted from Ajka in Hungary to factories in Romania. Ajka Crystal also went bankrupt and closed down a few years ago.

Kamei Glass branded the handmade glass produced by factories along the Danube River as CRYSTAL DONAU, actively developing and selling products. Around 2000 (Heisei 12), the CRYSTAL DONAU brand had dedicated sections in department stores and specialty shops nationwide, including Mitsukoshi, Isetan, Takashimaya, and Hankyu. This period, along with HOYA Crystal, is said to have been the peak of glass production in Japan.

In Poland, adjacent to Hungary, there were numerous crystal glass factories, mainly selling large quantities to the American market under the MIKASA brand and various private labels. However, as sourcing shifted to China, Turkey, and other countries, most factories such as Sudety, Violetta, and Zabierzec, except for KROSNO, have disappeared.

There were also many glass factories in Romania. I visited several factories, flying on a small domestic propeller plane from the capital, Bucharest. At that time, it was shortly after the fall of the Ceaușescu regime, and AIDS was rampant, with poor sanitation and medical facilities. Pilots and flight attendants from planes arriving from England and Germany would not leave the aircraft, fearing the worst. Looking back, I can't believe I went to Romania during such a challenging period. Due to their wine-making industries, all these countries had flourishing glass industries, producing not only glass bottles but also numerous glass products. Labor costs were overwhelmingly low, said to be about 1/5 of those in Germany and France. What surprised me even more was seeing people from Russia working in Romania, which was already in a difficult situation. I imagine Russia was in an even tougher state than Romania at the time.