Glass was produced in Japan, chiefly in Hakata, from the 12th or 13th century onwards, using lead from China and from Tsushima. However, the forms they produced were quite limited; most surviving glass artifacts are small beads. It was only with the introduction of European techniques, from the 16th century onwards, that blown glass began to be produced in a wider range of forms, mainly in Nagasaki.

References

  • Gallery labels, Jidai wo tsukutta waza 時代を作った技 exhibition, National Museum of Japanese History, July 2013.