File:Hisakichi Asahara.jpg
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Summary
| Description | Hisakichi Asahara (浅原久吉, Asahara Hisakichi), the legendary founder of Otaru glass industry during the Meiji era, that evolved into a shining "glass town" as called since many glass factories have been established, is standing in front of the kiln. A pioneer in glass crafts making, he was born on July 17, 1877, in Fukuoka, Kyushu, the birthplace of Satsuma kiriko. His parents' home in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, used to be a glass factory that had been around since the Edo period, now closed down. He went to work as an apprentice at a glass factory opened in Osaka, but later moved to Hakodate for training and accompanied a senior craftsman to started his own company/factory. Then, he became "independent" and moved to Otaru, during its development period, on his own as a glass blower and founded Asahara Glass Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the predecessor of the famous shop Kitaichi Glass established after one of their shore was closed in 1971, a company to manufacture miscellaneous glass household items, such as oil lamps and medication bottles, in 1903 in Tomioka-chō. He established the manufacturing technology and started producing kerosene lamps, that were part of life's necessities because electricity supply was unknown at that time, and medication bottles. In 1908, the first Otaru glass craftsman was asked by the Fisheries Research Institute at the time if it would be possible to make glass fishing floats, which were previously made of wood and bamboo, out of glass that was cheaper, lighter, easier to process, and transparent enough to blend in with the color of the seawater. Those request arrived words inspired him through extensive research, and so he devised a technique called "glass-blowing", which was passed down from the founder and continued for 100 years along with the history of Hokkaido's fishing industry. During the Meiji and Taisho periods, glass "floating balls" (buoys) invented by Asahara for local fishermen using recycled glass were quickly used as buoyancy bodies to float ropes when fishing for herring and northern sea, although nowadays similar balls are in demand as home decorations. The first president gathered his brothers and relatives together, taught them glass-making techniques of hand-blown spheres, and around 1940 expanded his Asahara Glass factories across Hokkaido (Otaru, Muroran, Kushiro, Asahikawa, and Sakhalin), and the number of employees increased to about 400, making it one of the largest companies in Hokkaido at the time: it is said that 1,056 tons of floating balls were produced in 1947, but it can be assumed that the actual amount was more than that. In 1934, he moved to Midori-chō, Irifune-chō, and then to its current location in Tenjin-chō. According to lifestyle changes, their products have shifted to tableware to enrich people's lives. They always try to supply products that enhance the quality of life. By the 1920-30s, they were sending out millions of glass floats for use on boats fishing the Pacific Ocean, sealed with their so-called "buttons" blank. However, after the end of the war, business gradually declined in the prosperity because of the use of electric lights, aluminum and plastic floating balls (orange buoys) during the Showa period, and Asahara Glass Works is the only company in the country that, rather than developing new products, still continues to make and sell oil lamps and glass floating balls as value interior decoration souvenirs. He retired as the first-generation owner in June 1950. He passed away in Otaru in October 16, 1957, and he was laid to rest in Asahara's grave in that city. His progeny succeeded him as owners of Asahara Glass: his eldest son Torai Asahara as the second generation inheriting the name "Asahara Hisakichi II" until his death in May 9, 1979; his grandson Yōji Asahara as the third generation from 1967 to his death in September 7, 2007; and his eldest great-grandson Saiichirō Asahara as the current fourth generation. Otaru is famous for its glass craftsmanship and the reason why it is second to none in Japan is due to the glory efforts of the three Asahara. |
| Date | |
| Source | 会社概要・歴史 |
| Author | Hokkaido Shimbun (June 1950) |
| Permission (Reusing this file) |
Asahara Glass Blowing's family (Otaru City, Hokkaido, Japan) |
| Other versions | メディア掲載一覧 |
Licensing
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This photograph is in the public domain in Japan because its copyright has expired according to Article 23 of the 1899 Copyright Act of Japan (English translation) and Article 2 of Supplemental Provisions of Copyright Act of 1970. This is when the photograph meets one of the following conditions:
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| current | 14:18, 16 December 2023 | | 150 × 220 (45 KB) | Shirogane10 | {{Information |Description= Hisakichi Asahara |Source= https://asaharaglass.com/about/ |Date= Bedore 1950 |Author= {{author|unknown}} |Permission= |other_versions= https://asaharaglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/news_s25june.jpg }} |
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