Satsuma Kiriko

Revived luxury cut glass from Kagoshima with thick color overlay and deep cuts.

Satsuma Kiriko is a luxury cut glass craft originally produced in the Satsuma domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture) during the mid-19th century under the patronage of Lord Shimazu Nariakira. Distinguished by its thick colored overlay glass and deep, wide cuts that create a beautiful gradation (bokashi) effect as the colored layer transitions to clear glass, Satsuma Kiriko was lost after the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877 and only revived in 1985. Today it is produced in limited quantities as one of Japan's most prestigious glass crafts.