Nabetani Glass Crafts 鍋谷グラス工芸社

Who is Nabetani Glass Crafts?

Nabetani Glass Crafts was founded in Ota ward, Tokyo, in 1949. Its own site names Nabetani Junichi as the workshop's third generation. Junichi, born in 1966, joined Kagami Crystal in 1992 before joining the family workshop in 1995, and was certified a traditional craftsman by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2009. He went on to win the Grand Prize at the Edo Kiriko New Works Exhibition in 2014 and again in 2016, and was certified a Tokyo Metropolitan Traditional Craftsman in 2019.

How did the family carry it forward?

Nabetani Kaito, Junichi's son, is the fourth generation. Born in 1994, he followed his father's path, joining Kagami Crystal in 2016 and the family workshop in 2018. The workshop's own site credits Kaito with inheriting Junichi's tradition and building a new era of Edo Kiriko out of it, and his Hyosho, ice-crystal, cut won the tableware category's gold prize at the Edo Kiriko New Works Exhibition in 2021 and again in 2022.

Is Nabetani Glass Crafts the same workshop as Toa Glass?

No. Nabetani Glass Crafts sits in the same Ota ward district as Toa Glass, run by the craftsman Nabetani Satoshi, and the two share a surname, but the Edo Kiriko Cooperative Association's own member directory lists them as separate, independently registered businesses. Nabetani Glass Crafts was founded in 1949 at one Ota ward address; Toa Glass was founded in 1960 at a different one, a short distance away. We carry Toa Glass's own range on a separate maker page.

What marks Nabetani's cutting?

The workshop's own site sums up its house style in four words: thicker, heavier, deeper and sharper, with more layers of colour, a design its site credits first to Junichi and now carried on by Kaito. Both generations cut on KAGAMI crystal and on crystal from Fukagawa Glass Works, and the workshop's site names KAGAMI's transparent black colour, called Aozumi, as a rarity only that supplier can produce.

What do we carry from Nabetani Glass Crafts?

We currently carry fifteen whisky glasses from Nabetani Glass Crafts, cut by Junichi and Kaito across patterns our own listings name directly. Junichi cuts O-giku, chrysanthemum in abundance in four colourways, a Ryusei meteor-rock glass, Wings and the Enbu morpho-butterfly cut in two colourways. He also cuts Tamagiku-kikyo, a chrysanthemum paired with kikyo bellflower, plus a flowing-stream cut called Seiryu and a helmet-inspired design called Shogun. Kaito cuts Hyosho, ice crystal and Kokka, black blossom. Browse the Kiriko collection to see Nabetani Glass Crafts alongside our other kiriko houses, since what is on the shelf shifts as pieces sell through.

How do you look after it?

Wash Nabetani glass by hand in warm water with a soft sponge, never a scourer, and rinse it twice so no soap film dulls the cut. Keep it out of the dishwasher and away from sudden changes in temperature, the same routine as any cut-glass piece we carry. Our cut-glass care guide has the full routine, and our Edo Kiriko guide covers the wider technique the workshop shares with other Tokyo cutters.