Sparkling colors of castle stone wall

“Raden glass” was born from a technical innovation to combine glass and the traditional “raden” (mother-of-pearl inlay) decoration technique which represents Takaoka lacquerware. With the view to expand the possibility of raden as well as lacquerware that are both veritable traditions of Takaoka in Toyama prefecture, Amano Shikki Co., Ltd. developed the new product and succeeded in the commercialization of the raden glass. The shiny decorations of raden made of abalone shells emerge from the underside of the glass painted in deep black lacquer. The colors change to blue, green or pink depending on the viewing angle, similar to a kaleidoscope and are reflected onto the surface of the drink served in the glassware. The photo shows a glass with “castle stone wall” patterns with which you can enjoy a relaxing time looking into the sparkles of raden.

Raden (Decorative technique)

Raden (mother-of-pearl inlay) is one of the traditional decorative techniques of lacquerware craft. It is known as a prominent feature of Takaoka lacquerware and called as “Aogai-nuri” in that region. The materials used for raden are abalone shells with shiny rainbow-like colors. After shaving a piece into thin slices of 0.1mm, a raden artisan cuts out tiny parts along the patterns using a knife or a needle, then piece them together. This intricate technique allows the artisan to brilliantly express various motifs of landscape, flowers and birds.