Satsuma-kiriko is one of Kagoshima Prefecture’s traditional crafts, and its delicate patterns are so beautiful. In the late Edo period, while foreign countries were promoting colonial activities, Shimazu Nariakira (1809-1858), the feudal lord of Satsuma Province (today’s Kagoshima Prefecture)  tried to cope with that threat not only by force but also by enriching the country.  He wanted to export Satsuma-kiriko to get foreign currency. 

However, the production ended in just 20 years, due to the loss of factories with the British-Satsuma War and the death of Nariakira. As it was until 1980, Satsuma-kiriko had disappeared from history. Shimadzu Kogyo, the descendant of Shimadzu, received an offer from Kagoshima prefecture and restored it as “Shimazu Satsuma-kiriko”, which inherited the spirit of Nariakira.

The traditional colors of Satsuma-kiriko are 6 colors: red, green, purple, green, gold-red and yellow. Furthermore, in addition to the traditional colored and transparent glass, “two-color covered” Satsuma -kiriko has also been born that has another layer of color glass called “intermediate color”.　

You can observe the manufacturing process of such Satsuma-kiriko at the “Iso Craft Museum” in the Iso Area where is one of the World Heritage Site “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining”