The creator's thoughts At Kiyohide Glass Studio, we also value the traditional technique of "hand polishing". Kiriko is a technique that creates patterns on glass using a rotating whetstone or diamond wheel. The cut areas will turn white like frosted glass. To make it transparent, a polishing process is required, but a technique called ``acid polishing,'' which involves soaking it in chemicals and polishing it, is now becoming mainstream. The acid polishing is outsourced to a specialized craftsman, which saves the Edo Kiriko craftsmen the trouble of polishing, allowing them to spend more time concentrating on the Kiriko processing. Moreover, it is a technique that makes it possible to express patterns that cannot be expressed by hand polishing. On the other hand, "hand polishing" is extremely inefficient and takes more time than it looks, as it involves tracing three lines at a time to polish each cut area. It takes time to achieve stable polishing, and the patterns that can be expressed are limited. From the time he became an apprentice until now, Kiyohide has mainly worked by hand polishing. Half of my career as a craftsman has been spent refining the techniques. I would like to continue to cherish this inefficient technique. However, it is difficult for the general public to understand. With this in mind, we handle contrasting acid polishing products in-house, allowing our customers to understand the diversity of techniques by allowing them to see both the wide range of expressions that can be made with acid polishing, and the benefits that can only be achieved by hand polishing, although it is less efficient. After that, please choose your preference. At that time, I believe that our commitment to hand-polishing will only come to fruition when you understand and accept our commitment to hand polishing.
