Iwatsu Glass (Japan) from their Hineri range | Art Glass Handkerchief Bowl/Centrepiece

$1.00 AUD
$1.00 AUD
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A gorgeous kingfisher blue centrepiece. This style, often referred to as a handkerchief vase, is a well-known model and appears in a variety of colours. 

Series Hineri
Production 1960s/70s

Dimensions 18cm (7.5") tall, 18cm (7.5") wide

Condition Excellent vintage condition with no wear that we can see. Retains its original paper/foil label.

Order Processing

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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 

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About the Maker

Iwatsu Glass

Based in Osaka, Iwatsu Glass stands as one of Japan's most recognised and prolific manufacturers of mid-century art glass. Operating at the height of the country's post-war manufacturing boom, the furnaces produced an outstanding volume of high-quality decorative wares that rivalled the output of traditional European glasshouses on the global market.

The company reached a creative and production peak during the 1960s and 1970s, releasing a diverse range of vases, centrepieces, and art glass pieces. They captured the aesthetic of mid-century modern design, frequently featuring vibrant swirls of colour cased in thick, clear glass.

What truly sets Iwatsu apart for collectors is their approach to colour and form. Their most famous export line, the Hineri range, is known for its ribbed, highly tactile bodies that capture and refract natural light. From multi-coloured 'Rainbow' designs to their pulled 'handkerchief' vases, Iwatsu's makers blended the bold vibrancy of the 1970s pop-art movement with a Japanese reverence for organic, fluid shapes.

Because Japanese art glass from this era was so heavily exported, authentication often relies on surviving paper or foil stickers. Pieces destined specifically for the international export market were predominantly branded as Hineri Glass, while those sold domestically within Japan usually carried an Art Glass label. Both variations frequently feature the Iwatsu logo and occasionally the characters '手作り' (translating to 'handmade'). Additionally, it isn't uncommon to find Iwatsu's glassware distributed under the branding of other Japanese export companies, showcasing labels from Kamei Glass or Nanbu Glass rather than the factory's own mark.

Read more about Japanese glass production here.

Shop more from Iwatsu 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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