At Kiyohide Glass Studio, we value the traditional technique of "hand polishing".
Kiriko is a technique for making patterns on glass using a rotating whetstone or diamond wheel. The faceted area becomes white like a frosted glass. To make it transparent, it is necessary to polish it. Nowadays, a technique called "acid polishing", in which it is dipped in chemicals and polished, is becoming mainstream. Since "acid polishing" is outsourced to a specialized craftsman, the labor of the kiriko craftsman can be greatly reduced, and it is possible for craftsmen to concentrate on processing patterns very efficiently.
On the other hand, "hand polishing" is not very efficient because the faceted parts are polished one by one, and it takes more time and effort than it looks like, and it takes longer to learn how to polish a number of pieces in a stable manner than it does with faceting. Kiyohide has been working mainly in "hand polishing" since he became a disciple.
Kiyohide has spent half of his artisan career polishing. Hand-polishing is not very efficient, but it has its own merits. Please come and experience the feel of hand-polished Edo faceted glass. We at Kiyohide studio would like to continue to value this "hand-polished" quality.