Hokuyo Glass was established in 1949 in the Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost region of Japan's main island. The company initially built its reputation not on decorative art glass, but as a manufacturer of glass fishing floats, known as ukidama. By 1973, their superior Chubuki (free-blowing) craftsmanship made them the top producer of glass floats in all of Japan.
A major turning point in the company's design history was the 'Accidental Green.' According to brand lore, an artisan decided to mix a handful of sand from the local Shichiri-Nagahama beach into the glass melt. The specific minerals in the sand reacted, turning the transparent glass a brilliant, deep green. Because their remote geographic location made it difficult to import pre-coloured glass, this discovery sparked an obsession with bespoke colour formulation, prompting Hokuyo to mix all their own vibrant colours in-house.
Read more about Hokuyo Glass here.
THIS LISTING
Model Centrepiece
Colour(s) Purple
Production 1960/70s
Dimensions 27cm (10.5") tall, 20cm wide
Condition Great to excellent condition with no wear that we can see. Some bubbles in the glass and dark ash marks in the glass near the rim, from manufacturing. Ass as per the images.
