Hokuyo Glass (Japan) Art Glass 9.5" Handkerchief Vase/Centrepiece, in Olive Green

$1.00 AUD
$1.00 AUD
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Model Vase/Centrepiece
Production 1960s/70s

Colour Olive Green

Dimensions 24cm (9.5") tall, 16.5cm (6.5") wide

Condition Excellent vintage condition with no chips, cracks or major scratches. There are some bubbles in the glass from manufacturing and some light surface scratches, mainly towards the base; expected and seen often in these types of pieces.

Order Processing

Please allow 1-3 business days to process your order before dispatch. Expect an email within to let you know your order is on the way, which will include your tracking number.

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Click and Collect

Orders can be collected from our Newtown showroom during opening times. An email will be sent when your order is ready for collection.

Our address is:
8 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042 

Domestic Shipping, Australia Wide

Orders are dispatched within Australia Post via Standard Post. If you require Express Post, please make contact and a quote can be provided. 

For most items shipped via Standard Post, shipping is capped at $20 for under 5kg and $30 for greater than 5kg. Shipping for larger items like lamps will vary between $50-$60. Extra larger items such as wall sculptures will vary again.

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About the Maker

Hokuyo Glass

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.

When plastic began replacing glass in the fishing industry, Hokuyo changed course. Utilising their traditional glassblowing techniques, the artisans began crafting heavy, colourful art glass and home decor. Collector references associate some Hokuyo glass with Kamei distribution, but Kamei handled glass from more than one producer. A distributor’s label therefore needs to be considered alongside the object’s design and other documentation, rather than treated as an exclusive Hokuyo factory mark.

This dedication to handmade craftsmanship eventually led to the launch of their famous ‘Tsugaru Vidro’ line in 1977. Today, Hokuyo Glass (now operating under the Ishizuka Glass Group) boasts over 100 proprietary colour recipes, with their vibrant, hand-blown pieces officially designated as a Traditional Craft of Aomori Prefecture.

Read more about Japanese glass production here.

Read more about Hokuyo and Tsugaru Vidro’s history here.

Shop more from Hokuyo Glass
About the Region

Japanese Glass

Japanese glass brings together a wide range of approaches, from practical tableware to expressive decorative objects and individually designed studio work. Its modern history is not a single story of export production: manufacturers developed different techniques, ranges and markets, with industrial glassmaking and handworked art glass existing alongside one another.

Among the distinctive forms associated with Japanese decorative glass of the mid-twentieth century are substantial vases and bowls with layered colour, clear outer casings and flowing, asymmetrical outlines. Pulled rims, twisting bodies and contrasting layers can give these pieces a strong sculptural presence. These are important strands of Japanese design, rather than features shared by every Japanese maker or period.

Iwatsu Glass is represented by its Hineri and Art Glass ranges, including twisting, lobed forms and prominently pulled rims. Sanyu Glass offers another approach to layered colour and decorative form. The individual histories of Hokuyo Glass, Multi Glass and Tajima Glass add further variety, and their collection pages provide more specific context.

Decorative glass developed alongside continued investment in everyday glassware. The histories of the companies that became Toyo-Sasaki, for example, document automated tumbler production and the development of toughened drinking glasses during the same post-war decades. This wider background matters when considering the diversity of Japanese glass, rather than treating all production as one export-led style.

Surviving paper and foil labels can provide useful evidence, but their wording needs to be read carefully: a name may identify a maker, range, distributor or export brand. Labels can also be lost over time. An unsigned piece is not automatically Japanese, just as a heavy, colourful form is not automatically Italian Murano. Attribution is strongest when labels, contemporary catalogues and documented examples can be considered together, with uncertainty made clear where evidence is limited.

Shop more Japanese glass →

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