Unique Expressions Born from Infinite Colors and Nine Techniques

What makes Tsugaru Vidro truly stand out is its rich palette of colors that reflect the four seasons of Aomori. The artisans develop, blend, and masterfully handle over 100 different colors of glass in-house. This isn't just a matter of mixing pigments. Each color of glass has a different coefficient of thermal expansion, and if these values don't align, the glass will crack as it cools. The very fact that over 100 colors of glass can coexist without shattering is a testament to their exceptional technical skill.

A wide variety of glass-forming techniques are used to bring these infinite colors to life in the glassware. In fact, there are as many as nine of them.

The main technique is "spin-molding," which uses centrifugal force to create patterns. Molten clear glass is used to pick up colored granules and is then returned to the furnace and spun. This causes the colors to form beautiful swirls within the soft glass. Artisans with five to six years of experience take on "mold-blowing," where they blow air while rotating the glass inside a mold to create more precise shapes. This is not a path for everyone; it is a gateway to a higher plane of craftsmanship, pursued only by those with the will to "aim higher."

Then there's what's considered the most difficult technique: "free-blowing," where glass is shaped solely by the artisan's skill, senses, and creative vision, without using any molds. At Hokuyo Glass, the requirements to become a certified Traditional Craftsman are to master this free-blowing technique and have their creations acclaimed in the marketplace. This is a unique standard, stricter than the prefecture's official criteria, and is a matter of the artisans' pride.

Beyond these, other optimal techniques are used for different products, such as "pin-blowing," which creates patterns by embedding glass granules and using air expansion, and the traditional technique for non-drip "soy sauce pitchers," which was inherited from Osaka.