60｜Glass History: Japanese Glass Manufacturers, 30 Facts about Handmade Glass Factories

Hello everyone 🎵

On a personal note, my third grandchild was born to my fourth daughter, and both mother and baby are doing well. As you know, I have five children, so I'm looking forward to my grandchildren multiplying exponentially (lol).

Now, this week continues with Matsugaoka Crystal, one of Kamei Glass's business partners, located in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture.

In 1961 (Showa 36), they succeeded in commercializing crystal glass, becoming a manufacturer specializing in glass tableware, and gained wide recognition in the market, selling both domestically and internationally. Their specialty is press molding, characterized by the clear brilliance of crystal and their meticulous approach to craftsmanship.

Kamei Glass primarily sold vases, ashtrays, and tableware for restaurants, all made with crystal press molding. They also produced glasses with color variations and an opaque white finish created by a manual scorching technique on the rim.

In addition to Kamei Glass, Matsugaoka Crystal also manufactures glasses for Mizusaki Glass, which produces commercial tableware for restaurants. Their glasses and plates, featuring pressed patterns resembling cut glass, are popular in high-end Japanese restaurants, eateries, and ryokan (traditional Japanese inns) both in Japan and in Japanese and sushi restaurants overseas.

After Kamei Glass went bankrupt, some of their molds were acquired by Aderia (mentioned previously), which continues to sell Matsugaoka Crystal products. When tableware breaks in a restaurant, the basic practice is to purchase the same item. Therefore, in industry jargon, this is called "replacement," and the ability to continuously purchase the same item is an unspoken understanding between the restaurants (customers) and the glass suppliers.

Especially in high-end establishments, even if one or a few glasses break, the remaining original glasses are still in use, so replacements of the same design are preferred.

While wine glasses and tumblers may have similar sizes and designs, for unique glasses like those from Matsugaoka Crystal, the continuity of the same design is highly valued.

Furthermore, Fire-King milk glass items, which were manufactured in the U.S., ceased production in 1986 (Showa 61). After that, Matsugaoka Crystal went through a process of trial and error and has been manufacturing them since 2011 (Heisei 23). After the bankruptcy of their major client, Kamei Glass, they faced economic difficulties, but it seems they have restarted with investment from a ceramics trading company in recent years.

As the number of handmade glass factories decreases nationwide, it's beneficial not only for the industry but also for consumers who use glassware that they continue manufacturing glasses with new challenges. We wish them all the best! ♪