Sarazo Kawai
Edo Kiriko, or cut glass, is a manufacturing method in which clear colours and delicate patterns are cut into glass. At his store, Sarazo Kawai is learning and trying to evolve the traditional techniques.
Edo Kiriko is a proudly Tokyoborn craft, which those familiar with Japanese may have noticed from the name. In Japan’s history, the nation’s capital was once known as Edo.
Creations born here – that the city was proud of – would be given the ‘Edo’ prefix, like Edomae sushi, which is just sushi as we know it today, but which was born in Tokyo and featured seafood caught in the sea near Edo.
“Tokyo is a place where tradition and newness are woven together, where Edo culture is rich in history, and Tokyo is at the forefront of Japanese culture,” says Sarazo Kawai, a craftsman at Edo Kiriko Studio Shop, located in the traditional downtown area of Sumida. Edo Kiriko is a form of delicate glass cutting and a technique that leaves glassware with almost gemstone-like angles that catch and glitter in the light like a colourful, well-cut crystal or diamond.
The earliest reports of the craft were in around 1834 when a Tokyobased glassware seller, Kagaya Kyubei etched designs on the glass’ surface using emery sand. Fast forward 170 years and Edo Kiriko Studio Shop, entered the scene. “We opened our store as an official store of Sumidaku, in 2004,” says Kawai.
“We are trying to learn and evolve the traditional techniques, which have been cultivated over a long period while evolving production techniques that match the modern times, because we believe it’s integral to ensuring the form will continue for the next generation.”
There’s something so sophisticated, metropolitan and urban about this form. Unlike rustic regional ceramics, Edo Kiriko’s existence is more about showcasing a delicate, carefully crafted beauty than it is about being useful. It feels like a craft that can only be born in a city that gives so much value and to such thoughtful, considered beauty.
However, with typically Japanese humility, Kawai talks down his talents and dedication to the form. “After graduating from a vocational school, I have been involved in the Edo Kiriko business for 30 years,” he says. “But rather than creating my own works, I am involved in the production of products for my company. My role is to master and pass on the traditional techniques. I am proud of my work as a craftsman, not as an artist.”
“TOKYO IS A PLACE WHERE TRADITION AND NEWNESS ARE WOVEN TOGETHER.”