The History of Glass in Otaru Otaru's glass industry began with everyday items such as containers for essential goods and "oil lamps," as well as fishing floats. As demand for these products decreased over time, glass products have evolved from practical items to those with a focus on design, becoming deeply rooted in Otaru's culture. The rise of plastic ushered in a difficult era for the glass industry in Otaru. In the 1970s, the "canal controversy" erupted in Otaru, which had long been considered a declining town. The Kitashinsha Glass Building No. 3, which is now a representative spot for Otaru tourism, demonstrated that "old buildings are assets," and this led to a major trend of reusing buildings and preserving parts of the Otaru Canal. While the glass industry in Otaru once declined, it has become a powerful force in saving the town from its decline by revitalizing it through "tourism." Currently, the number of glass craft artists moving to Otaru as a place to create has also increased. Behind the beauty of Otaru's glassworks lies this weight of history. Asahara Glass Manufacturing Co., Ltd. x Otaru Department Store UNGA↑
Collaboration piece: "Floating Glass" We commissioned Asahara Glass Manufacturing, which continues to produce float glass in Otaru Tenjin in order to pass on the techniques of float glass manufacturing, to create an original UNGA↑ glass. Floating glass ball
Purchase online here. The History of Asahara Glass Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Around 1897 (Meiji 30), Otaru had a high demand for glass products as lighting fixtures and storage containers, and there were many glass factories. One of them was Asahara Glass Manufacturing. In 1903 (Meiji 36), the first Asahara Kyukichi founded a glass factory in Tomioka-cho, Otaru City, and manufactured glass household goods such as lamps and medicine bottles. At that time, he received a manufacturing request from the Fisheries Experimental Station, and in 1910 (Meiji 43), he devised a glass fishing float manufacturing technique. This greatly contributed to the herring fishery and the North Pacific fishery. It cannot be said that Otaru's fisheries industry developed or that glassblowing took root in Otaru without these "floats." Hisayoshi Asahara taught the manufacturing method to his relatives and expanded Asahara Glass factories throughout Hokkaido (Otaru, Muroran, Kushiro, Asahikawa, and Sakhalin), but as plastic float balls gained popularity, the scale of his business gradually shrank. Currently, Saichiro Asahara is the fourth generation to inherit the family business, and he continues to produce the floats in Otaru Tenjin, passing on the "float manufacturing" technique, which is unique in Japan.