HAKONE VENETIAN GLASS MUSEUM

Thank you for visiting the special exhibition “A Radiant Legacy: The Art of Glass and Shell Inlay.”
This exhibition explores the mystery of color through two distinct materials—glass and shell inlay. The iridescence of ancient glass and the natural shimmer of mother-of-pearl have long inspired artisans across generations. With around 90 works on display, we invite you to trace the creative journey of these artisans as they pursued brilliance and color in their work.
As you move through the exhibition, we encourage you to take your time examining each piece—shifting your perspective and viewing angle to fully appreciate their subtle beauty.

Glass was first created around 4,000 years ago and was considered a precious material. In its early days, small vessels were made by winding molten glass around a core of heat-resistant clay. A major turning point came about 2,000 years ago with the invention of glassblowing in the Roman Empire. This technique—shaping molten glass by blowing air through a pipe—enabled large-scale production and made glassware more widely accessible.
This long-necked bottle was used to hold perfumed oil, made by infusing fragrant plant extracts into oil. Such oils were highly prized across the Mediterranean.
Take a close look at the surface of the glass. Its iridescent shimmer is the result of a natural weathering process. Over centuries underground, the glass surface transformed into delicate layers that now reflect light in rainbow hues.
Please enjoy its shifting, mysterious beauty from every angle.

This perfume bottle is adorned with a double-circular cut pattern. Such decorative cutting, once popular in the large cut-glass bowls of the Sasanian Empire in ancient Persia, was later passed down into the Islamic period and applied to vessels like this one.
Its iridescent surface is the result of a rare natural phenomenon seen in ancient glass. After centuries buried underground, the glass reacted to groundwater and other elements, causing its alkaline components to leach out. This created delicate, mica-like layers on the surface that now reflect light in rainbow hues.
This type of coloration is called structural color—a mysterious effect in which the appearance shifts depending on the angle of view and the way light strikes the surface. Take a moment to enjoy the ethereal shimmer born from the interplay of glass and nature.

This glass jar features striking white marbled patterns that resemble delicate feathers. Traces of a rainbow-like sheen can be seen on parts of the amber-colored glass body, casting a soft blue-green glow. Its slim neck and tapered form are characteristic of rosewater bottles that became widespread during the Islamic period.
Although made using the glassblowing technique, the decoration reflects a method commonly used in core-formed glass, which flourished along the eastern Mediterranean coast until around the first century BCE. The marbled pattern was created by winding molten colored glass around the vessel and dragging it up and down before it cooled. This ancient technique was carried over even after the transition from core-forming to glassblowing.

This domed chest, reminiscent of a pirate’s treasure box, was one of the most widely exported Japanese items during the era of Nanban trade, which began in the late sixteenth century when Portuguese ships arrived at Tanegashima.
During this period, these chests—known as yōbitsu—were crafted by Japanese artisans to suit the tastes of Portuguese and Spanish traders. Made specifically for export, many of these chests are still preserved today in monasteries and churches across Europe.
This particular piece is lavishly adorned with maki-e—a technique using gold and silver powder—and raden, which highlights the iridescent beauty of shell inlay. Birds, deer, and floral motifs resembling bellflowers bloom across its surface in dazzling detail.

This sake set is crafted from natural shells. The body of each vessel preserves the original form of the shell, while the legs and spouts are carefully shaped from other types of shell, assembled with great precision.
Historical records suggest that Commodore Matthew Perry loaded similar pieces onto his “black ships” when departing from the port of Shimoda on the Izu Peninsula. From the Edo period through the Meiji and Taishō eras, shell-inlaid sake sets like this were beloved by many.
The material used—yakōgai, or turban shell—has a pearl-like luster. Its iridescence is created by light reflecting through layers of calcium carbonate on the inner surface of the shell. While this piece differs from traditional raden (shell inlay), it celebrates the shell’s natural form, texture, and radiant sheen—capturing the playful spirit and refined taste of the Edo period.

This compact chest is adorned on all sides with radiant raden. Flowing across the front, sides, and back is a stream motif, along which over 80 figures, along with waterfowl, are depicted in lively detail. The shell used for the inlay has been polished down to just 0.1 millimeters to enhance its bluish luster, and in some cases, color has been applied to the reverse side to achieve a broader range of hues—showcasing the artisan’s remarkable skill.
The design illustrates a scene from China’s Eastern Jin dynasty: the orchid pavilion gathering hosted by the calligrapher Wang Xizhi. In this elegant pastime, guests composed poems before a cup of wine drifting down a stream passed them by; if they failed to finish in time, they had to finish the entire drink. The Heian court in Japan later adopted this tradition, blending poetry and wine in their own gatherings.
Take a moment to enjoy the shimmering colors and the delicately rendered scene from this ancient tale.

This chest gleams with a combination of yosegi wood mosaics and raden. While the town of Hakone is now known as the center of yosegi production, this particular piece was crafted in Shizuoka. The technique flourished there after Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu summoned master artisans from across Japan to restore Shizuoka’s Sengen Shrine—sparking innovations that combined lacquer, shell inlay, and wood mosaics.
Yosegi involves assembling small pieces of wood in various colors to form intricate geometric patterns, which are then applied to the surface. Shizuoka’s version, known as ran-yosegi, is characterized by irregular, free-form designs finished with lacquer.
The double doors of this chest feature pheasants and peonies rendered using the ao-gai technique, where the reverse side of the shell is tinted in red, blue, and other hues to enhance the vibrancy of the inlay. Also called fuse-saishiki (reverse-side coloring), this method allows for richer, more expressive coloration.
Take a close look at the luxurious details unique to Shizuoka’s craftsmanship, where wood mosaics, lacquer, and shell inlay come together in harmony.

This decorative tray features delicately carved flowers and butterflies made from ox bone and white mother-of-pearl, inlaid in relief into a surface of colored lacquer. The woodgrain pattern around the rim is rendered with brush-painted detail.
Shibayama lacquerware originated in the late Edo period, when Ōnogi Senzō of Shibayama in present-day Chiba Prefecture developed a technique of three-dimensional inlay. After refining the method in the shogunal capital of Edo, his exquisitely detailed works gained popularity among feudal lords.
Following the opening of Yokohama’s port to foreign trade, Shibayama lacquerware—now enhanced with vivid raised inlay—became highly sought after by visitors from abroad and in overseas markets. As demand grew, many Shibayama artisans relocated to Yokohama, where the craft flourished and came to be known as Yokohama Shibayama lacquerware. This tray, which made its way back to Japan from the United Kingdom, is a fine example of that legacy.
Allow your eyes to follow the delicate interplay of lacquer and shell, where flowers and butterflies come to life in luminous gradation.

This pendant features an insect sculpted from carved lacquer, set on a plate formed using the dry lacquer technique—created by layering lacquer over hemp cloth. The motif is a species of ground beetle (Carabus pustulifer) often called a “walking jewel.” The real-life model for this piece shimmers with iridescent color, thanks to light reflecting off a thin membrane on its body.
Lacquer artist Chitaka Hashimoto meticulously classifies the mother-of-pearl from abalone and other shells by tone, crafting the exact hues he wishes to express. Each piece is assembled using a mosaic-like technique, adjusting the luster of the raden to achieve the desired brilliance. The process demands great time and precision.
This work radiates a mysterious shimmer, born of the artist’s deep dedication and vision.

This boat-shaped ewer evokes the city of Venice itself, famously known as the City of Water. From the sixteenth century onward, the image of a ship carrying wealth became a beloved motif. It is believed that the original piece once featured a dolphin at the top and a handle attached to the body. The blue-glass accents beautifully highlight the clarity of the colorless vessel.
At the time, carved rock crystal was highly prized among the nobility, and its rarity made it a symbol of wealth. Venetian glassmakers, eager to replicate its brilliance, conducted countless experiments to produce glass as clear as crystal. They added metal oxides to neutralize unwanted coloration and refined raw materials to remove impurities that affected the hue. Through this process of trial and error, they succeeded in creating glass of remarkable transparency.

This large ornamental goblet, composed of a bowl and stem, is adorned with delicate floral decorations in milky white glass. Created in the late nineteenth century as a display piece, it stands an impressive 40 centimeters tall.
The material—opalescent glass—was invented in the late seventeenth to early eighteenth century. Its soft, translucent gradation and shifting colors, reminiscent of opal, captivated viewers and saw a revival in popularity in late nineteenth-century Venice.
While natural opal changes color through light reflecting off layers of silica, opalescent glass achieves its iridescence through light interference with phosphate compounds within the glass.
Enjoy the gentle hues and refined ornamentation that together create a luminous harmony.

This charming compote features a dolphin-shaped stem—a playful nod to Venice, the City of Water. The bowl is decorated with pressed diamond patterns that catch the light, enhancing the brilliance of its striking red hue.
While red glass is typically colored using metals like selenium, the vivid ruby-red seen here—a pink-tinged red—was achieved through an advanced technique that disperses fine particles of gold throughout the glass. This method, using gold as a colorant, was described in early seventeenth-century texts, though red glass made with gold already existed in ancient Rome. The long history of experimentation by glassmakers speaks to their enduring pursuit of vibrant color.
This radiant red is a testament to the skill and ingenuity of master Venetian glassmakers.

In the late fifteenth century, Venetian glassmakers succeeded in creating patterns that resembled natural stones like agate and marble by blending silver oxide and other metal oxides.
The hues of this marble glass shift with the angle of light, and when illuminated from behind, it glows a sunset-like red. Because of this quality, it came to be known as calcedonio, after the microcrystalline gemstone chalcedony, and was highly prized among European nobility.
The sparkling flecks on the surface are the result of aventurine glass, a technique developed in seventeenth-century Venice. By suspending copper crystals within the glass, artisans achieved a glittering effect reminiscent of gold dust in natural minerals.

This elegant vase, with gracefully entwined leaves, is a striking example of early twentieth-century Art Nouveau design. Characterized by flowing lines and botanical motifs, the Art Nouveau movement spread across Europe from around 1890.
The vase’s lustrous, metallic sheen is achieved through a technique called luster decoration, in which molten metals like lead or tin are fused to the glass surface. Inspired by the iridescence of excavated ancient glass, lusterware gained popularity in Europe and North America from the late nineteenth century.
The Lötz workshop in Bohemia became especially renowned for the organic forms and abstract beauty of its lusterware, producing over 200 variations in collaboration with artists and designers. atural minerals.