Manufacturing 80% of Japan's Imitation Pearls: The Handiwork that Supported Izumi

It is said that imitation pearl culture once thrived in this town, isn't it?

Absolutely. Imitation pearls have been produced since the Taisho era, and at their peak, there's even talk that they accounted for almost 10% of Japan's GDP. Around 80% of those were produced right here in Izumi City.

In the 1940s and 1950s, it was perfectly normal for young people in this area to become apprentices straight after junior high, working for no pay.

But everybody gave it their all. The reason? Making imitation pearls paid about ten times what an office worker earned back then. Skilled people could learn the craft in just about three months.

Now, times have changed, and unpaid apprenticeships are unthinkable. As a result, fewer young people want to become artisans, and the workforce is aging rapidly.

From Ironwork to Glass, Entering the World of Colored Glass

Tell us about the founding of Satake Glass.

The company was founded in 1927. It started as an ironworks, but after the previous owner passed away, we shifted to glass manufacturing.
At first, we produced milky white glass rods for imitation pearls, but when American buyers began demanding colored glass, we started manufacturing colored glass as well. Now, we create colored glass rods that serve as raw materials for other colored glass products, along with our own Izumi Glass pieces.

What are the unique characteristics of your materials and processes?

The main raw material we use has remained unchanged since our founding: high-purity quartz sand imported from Australia.
Its purity and low levels of impurities result in exceptionally beautiful colors.
We handle both lead glass and soda-lime glass, choosing between them depending on the color. Warm colors like red and orange can only be achieved with soda-lime glass.

The craft itself is still done by hand. The glass is melted in a container called a crucible, which must be swapped for each color.
For ordinary glass, a single crucible is enough and the production process can be mechanized. Colored glass, however, requires a different crucible for every color, so handcrafting is actually more efficient.

The only thing that has changed over the years is the furnace fuel, which has evolved from wood to coal, oil, then gas.

After the war, there were more than 20 factories in the area making similar products, but now there are only two left, including ours. We are the only company whose legacy stretches back before World War II.

"It’s Not that I love Glass. But It Just Suited Me."

Please tell us about the current initiatives at Satake Glass.

Right now, our focus is mainly on individual customers. In the past, we used to mass-produce for businesses, but the materials used for artificial pearls have gradually been replaced by plastic and shell. As a result, demand from individuals has increased.

This shift happened because, over 20 years ago, more people began making "Tonbo-dama" (glass beads) as a hobby. Tonbo-dama are relatively easy to make and can sell for high prices. For these reasons, more people started making Tonbo-dama, leading to a rise in demand for colored glass rods, which are their main material.

From our perspective, this has meant producing a greater variety of products in smaller quantities, leading to a decrease in production efficiency compared to the old days. Still, we believe our role is to respond to what customers need.

Looking ahead, we aim to take on new challenges to stabilize our business, such as developing products that take advantage of Izumi Glass’s unique softness and branching out into industrial applications.

For Satake, who has worked with colored glass for so many years, what does glass mean to you?

To be honest, it’s not like I’ve always loved glass. I originally worked with iron.
Yet here I am, 45 years into continually making glass products. I haven’t really thought about whether I like it or not — it’s just something I took on as my calling.

I was able to keep going because making colored glass suited my temperament.
As a craftsman, I’ve always wanted to meet our customers’ expectations. That’s what motivated me to diligently work on each and every piece in front of me.
I think that dedication is what led me to where I am now.

Even now, there are moments when I look at glass and think, "Wow, that’s beautiful." People often say transparency is glass’s defining feature, but plastic has that, too. What glass really has is the power to restore itself.

Plastic becomes cloudy with age, but glass will shine just like new if you simply wash it with water. I think discovering that strength and beauty is something I gained from so many years of working with it.

Wisdom of the Ancients Understood Only By Experience

Currently, how many craftsmen are there?

There aren’t many, but there are always some young people who want to try it. Among those, the ones who are in it "because they love it," not for money, tend to stick around. If you’ve got good instincts, you can learn all the techniques for making glass rods in about three years—five if you’re average.

Do you also receive orders from overseas?

Yes, we do. Especially from South Korea. Calmer, subdued tones are preferred over flashy colors. In that sense, perhaps traditional Japanese color palettes are being rediscovered.

In recent years, clients from abroad and the younger generation have shown interest in culturally significant heritage and in our soft glass, visiting our factory for tours and "Tonbo-dama" workshops.

We also take on commissions from public organizations to restore ancient glass and to help repair cultural properties such as castles, temples, and shrines.

When you get to actually touch buildings that are centuries old, you can’t help but be amazed by the wisdom of our ancestors. For example, a structure may be solid and lasting simply because of one single twisted line… That kind of creativity and sensibility isn’t common anymore.
That’s all the more reason why I feel tradition must be kept alive — we need to hand down what our predecessors built up to the next generation.

Going forward, I hope to keep fulfilling that role as a craftsman.