A new lineage of Japanese Edo Kiriko Craftsmanship

Sena Misawa is the new line from Tokyo-based Japanese cut glass workshop Horiguchi Kiriko. This collection is produced by young artisan Senna Misawa, who serves as an apprentice to Horiguchi Kiriko founder and third-generation master craftsman Toru Horiguchi. Misawa’s works represent a new lineage of Edo Kiriko craftsmanship that is redefining the 150-year-old cut glass tradition.

Observe, Add and Omit - On Horiguchi Kiriko’s Ethos

Nestled in the outskirts of Tokyo’s Edogawa district, atelier space White Base is home to Horiguchi Kiriko’s pristine clean workshop, where Senna Misawa and a small team of Edo Kiriko craftsmen cut away at their craft. Misawa joined as Horiguchi’s first apprentice in 2014, three years after her initial meeting with the founder.

As one of just a handful of female artisans working in a male-dominated craft, Misawa is breathing new life into the art of cut glass with her feminine and youthful sensibility. In a waning traditional craft industry that is facing the reality of a lack of future successors, Horiguchi’s pledge to pass down the knowledge to apprentices like Misawa is promising for the future progression of Edo Kiriko traditions. Horiguchi Kiriko’s mission to drive the craft forward is underpinned by the principles of ‘observe, add and omit’. Crafting every object through a dialogue of preserving what is valuable through observation, adding necessary elements and omitting excess, the vision to charm the object’s owner with the allure of cut glass is always at the heart of Horiguchi Kiriko. For Horiguchi, tradition and innovation coexist in harmony; preserving Edo Kiriko traditions mean creating new narratives as much as adhering to the old ways.

Japanese Glass Collection by Senna Misawa

The Sena Misawa collection showcases Misawa’s refined techniques from her early experimentation with opacity and matte textures. This is a departure point from traditional Edo Kiriko designs and Horiguchi’s own aesthetic values, which tends toward transparency, clean lines and bold colours. The pieces in the collection embody Misawa’s vision to adorn everyday spaces with the comfortable tones of Edo Kiriko, introducing never before used colours and textures into the cut glass tradition.

Japanese Cut Glass - Kikka Series

The Kikka series presents Misawa’s unique reinterpretation of a classic Japanese ornamental motif. ‘Kikka’ is the amalgam of the word Kiku and Hana, which forms the meaning Chrysanthemum flower in Japanese. In kanji, Kiku can also be rewritten as (‘happiness’) and ‘long time’, hence the pattern contains a message of enduring happiness. Misawa’s redesign of the traditional motif is created with a highly specialised technique of making the cuts evenly across the glass surface to create a beautiful centreline to the pattern.

Japanese Cut Glass - Wappa Series

The Wappa series showcases Misawa’s personal taste for simplicity with a pared-down design and refined colour palette. ‘Wappa’ is a technique which describes the engraving of a circular pattern onto the glass surface. Taking this technique, the cut is repeated to create a matt-textured rim where the hand would be placed, revealing an understated beauty that embodies the value of lasting traditions.