NEWS KATACHI exhibition in Frankfurt Shotoku Glass was established in 1922 and first started off by manufacturing the glass portion of the electric light bulbs. The original company name was Marusa Bulb Manufacturing but the name was changed to the present one in 1958. Since then, Shotoku has developed the "Usuhari glass" series based on the knowledge they gained from making the glass for the electric light bulb. In 2003, Shotoku Glass participated in the New York Gift Fair and won the Best Product Award in the Accent on Design category. After that, in 2005, the "e-glass" series was introduced. These are glasses which are made from recycled fluorescent light tubes and received the top award in the First Annual Traditional Arts and Crafts Challenge Awards (Japan). In 2006, this series was recognized as an environmentally friendly product and became the first glass product in Japan to be given the Eco Mark. As for the crystal glasses which are made at Shotoku, like all other crystals, the lead in the glass has been a concern since the past but since 2006, Shotoku and partners have been able to create a crystal which does not have lead in it so it is environmentally friendly. Shotoku strives to create more products which are environmentally friendly. Teruo Kato Tokyo Meister Hisao Katagiri Tokyo Meister Tokyo Traditional Craftsman Sumida Ward Meister Minoru Kondo Tokyo Traditional Craftsmen Sumida Ward Meister These remarkable thin drinking glasses called "Usuhari" are each carefully hand crafted by master craftsmen. They are born from the same techniques as making light bulbs. The feel of it in your hands, the sound the ice makes when it swirls in the cup and how fine the rim is are all exquisite and unique to this glass alone. This series appears to be extremely delicate but it can be handled with the usual care as other glassware. So experience and enjoy this fine and exquisite glass for yourself. *Tumbler LL:350ml can of beer (beer7:foam3) *Tumbler L:for chu-hai, cocktails, etc. *Tumbler M:for can beer, oolong tea, etc. *Tumbler S:for Daiginjyo, cold green teas, etc. *Tumbler SS:for whiskeys, liqueres, etc. "Daiginjyo" is a well-known type of Japanese sake. Its fruity scent and flavor are achieved by a special fermentation at low temperatures using carefully selected rice. We were successful in producing a glass that can draw out more of the flavor and the tastes of this Japanese sake.This special glassware has a projection of glSss at its bottom and the glass is very thin at its mouth. When you want to enjoy the aroma and the taste of any Japanese sake, drinking it from this glass will make the experience more palatable.That is why we named the glass "Daiginjyo" Approximately 400 million fluorescent light tubes are disposed in Japan per year and the current situation is that up to 85% of them are dispose to landfills causing soil pollution from the mercury left in the tubes. By reusing the glass from the tubes, where the mercury has been safely removed, we have been able to create an environmentally safe glass. Furthermore, since the glasses are created from recycled glass and carefully hand made by skilled craftsmen, small imperfections such as air bubbles in the glass are purposely left to create a warm finish and to emphasize a hand made feeling. *The first glassware to receive the Eco Mark for the "Household Commodity" category The environmentally friendly "e-glass" series is the first glassware product in Japan to receive the Eco Mark! The Eco Mark is only given to those products which are environmentally friendly so this mark helps those consumers who are conscious about the environment when they go shopping for their needs. Only products which have gone through a strict examination and passed it can receive this mark. e-glass Dew Designer: Natsue Mohri (ATERLIER Dew) ATELIER dew:http://www.atelierdew.com/ CONTACT US If you are interested in our products, please contact following Contact from EUROPE : Noble traders Co.,Ltd Keiji Yasui(mr) 3-18-27 Kohtari Nagaokakyo-city Kyoto 617-0833 Japan TEL. +81-75-957-6462 FAX. +81-75-957-7557 E-mail infonoble@le-noble.com Contact from North America : Eastern Accent International, Inc. Masayuki Muramatsu(mr) 191 Wayside Inn Road Sudbury, MA 01776 USA TEL. 978.443.4308 FAX. 978.443.0461 E-mail eastacce@msn.com Shotoku Glass Co. 4-10-4, Kinshi, Sumida-ku,Tokyo 130-0013 Japan TEL. +81-3-3625-3511 FAX. +81-3-3625-0083