61｜History of Glass: Japanese Glass Manufacturers and Handmade Glass Factories (31)

Hello everyone 🎵

Last weekend was the festival of the town where Kimoto Glass is located. Torigoe Shrine boasts a history of approximately 1370 years. The procession of the portable shrine (Omikoshi) held at the annual Grand Festival in June attracts many locals and spectators every year. Leading the mikoshi procession are Sarutahiko (Tengu), Tekomai dancers, and children carrying five-colored flags. As evening approaches, the original lantern mikoshi, adorned with lanterns, enters the shrine grounds, surrounded by tall lanterns. The large mikoshi procession, commonly known as the Senkan Mikoshi, weighs about 4 tons, making it said to be the heaviest in Tokyo. Its sight as it moves through the city at night is spectacular. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people visit, and the areas of Kojima, Misuji, and Torigoe-cho are bustling with activity.

Kamei Glass has not only procured products from domestic and international factories as a wholesaler but has also created a new world of glassware through new designs and combinations of factories and artisans.

This time, it's about Nihon Tokayo Garasu Kogyo Co., Ltd., which manufactured glass in Suita, Osaka.

We commonly refer to it as NT Crystal.

Although the exact history is uncertain, their website in 2007 stated that they had a history of over 100 years. Since almost all of their products were sold nationwide through Kamei Glass, after Kamei Glass went bankrupt, Adelia and Toyo-Sasaki Glass handled their products. Later, they decided to close down, but due to numerous requests for distinctive glass from all over the country, they relocated their production facilities to the previously mentioned Hokuyo Glass in Aomori, and Nihon Tokayo Garasu Kogyo Co., Ltd. ceased operations.

Their representative glassware is the RUJU series of crystal soy sauce dispensers. The unique ground-glass fitting of the spout ensures that soy sauce does not drip from the bottle's bottom, making it popular as a drip-free dispenser. Given that some soy sauce manufacturers sell raw soy sauce in bottles, I assume there are many households that don't have a soy sauce dispenser at home. However, from an ecological perspective, it's ideal to transfer soy sauce from plastic bottles or glass bottles into a dispenser for use. Unfortunately, due to reasons like being heavy or troublesome, the market for soy sauce dispensers is shrinking.

The RUJU series offers a wide lineup of soy sauce dispensers compatible with various seasonings like tonkatsu sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and chili oil. They seem to still be actively used not only in homes but also in restaurants. I often see several RUJU dispensers lined up on tables at the restaurants I frequent, and I always look at them with a smile (lol).

The technique of using compressed air to blow and shape thick-walled glass, which cannot be made by human breath alone, such as soy sauce dispensers, sake flasks (tokkuri), and single-flower vases, is called the "pressure blowing method." Nihon Tokayo Garasu Kogyo was adept at this technique and created many glassware items.

In addition to the pressure blowing method, they also possessed techniques such as press molding and pouring, and manufactured glass materials including crystal and colored glass.

Currently, these glassware items are manufactured by Hokuyo Glass in Aomori.