1875 (Meiji 8)
Donated by the Homma family
Satsuma kiriko cut glassware was manufactured by the Satsuma clan from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period. Shimazu Narioki, the 10th feudal lord of the Satsuma Domain, was the first to begin glass production in Satsuma; under the open-minded and forward-thinking Nariakira’s reign, the 11th feudal lord, glass production drew on cut glass techniques from England and the Bohemia region in the Czech Republic.
At the time, Satsuma kiriko was both scarce and costly, and was perceived as an extraordinary and marvelous type of glassware. This particular small bottle was acquired by the Homma family in 1875 as a souvenir from Satsuma.