Yayoi Aoyama Edo Kiriko Rock Glass “Soda” | Kiku-tsunagi Inspired by Rising Bubbles
Rising bubbles that appear and disappear — captured in glass through the precision of kiku-tsunagi cutting.
Yayoi Aoyama’s Edo Kiriko Rock Glass “Soda”, carried at IMAMI under the Aoyama Glass name, transforms the everyday image of carbonation into a contemporary cut-glass design.
IMAMI carries the piece in blue, green and pink. Fine kiku-tsunagi cuts and an extremely thin layer of retained colour catch the light, creating an effect reminiscent of bubbles rising and vanishing in sparkling water.
Why the name “Soda”?
The inspiration is exactly what the name suggests: carbonation.
Yayoi Aoyama is known for translating ordinary scenes and fleeting visual impressions into Edo Kiriko.
In “Soda,” countless small cuts suggest bubbles rising through a glass and flashing briefly as they catch the light.
Kiku-tsunagi as particles of light
The design is centred on kiku-tsunagi, one of the traditional motifs of Edo Kiriko.
Its dense intersections divide light into numerous small points of brilliance.
In “Soda,” the pattern moves beyond decoration and becomes part of the visual illusion of rising bubbles.
Colour left almost impossibly thin
Another defining feature is Aoyama’s technique of leaving the coloured glass layer extremely thin.
Rather than preserving broad areas of solid colour, the design alternates transparency with delicate traces of colour.
The result is a subtle gradient in which light, rather than colour alone, becomes the central element of the piece.
Blue, green and pink
IMAMI carries “Soda” in blue, green and pink.
Blue evokes the cool clarity of water.
Green has the freshness of new spring leaves.
Pink brings a softer impression reminiscent of spring petals.
The cutting remains the same, but the way light moves through the surface changes noticeably with each colour.
A 7cm × 9cm rock glass
The glass measures 7cm in diameter and 9cm in height.
The proportions make it practical as a rocks glass while giving the detailed kiku-tsunagi enough surface area to remain visually prominent.
It is presented in a wooden box, making it suitable both for personal use and as a gift.
Yayoi Aoyama | Turning everyday scenes into Edo Kiriko
Yayoi Aoyama was born in Tochigi Prefecture in 1983.
She graduated from the Design Department of Tokyo Zokei University in 2007 and joined Shimizu Glass in 2008 through Katsushika Ward’s traditional-craft apprenticeship support programme.
She was certified as an official Traditional Craftsman of Edo Kiriko in 2023 and received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the National Traditional Crafts Exhibition in 2024.
In 2025, she established her independent studio, Aoyama Glass Craft.
Her work often begins with familiar phenomena — ice, rain, woven fabric or soda bubbles — and translates them into glass through precise cutting and carefully controlled transparency.
More work by Yayoi Aoyama at IMAMI
IMAMI has also collaborated with Aoyama on IMAMI Original Collection #2.
Although the motif differs from “Soda,” the same attention to transmitted light, delicate retained colour and contemporary reinterpretation of Edo Kiriko can be seen across both works.
Yayoi Aoyama Edo Kiriko Rock Glass “Soda”
Japan | Tokyo | Yayoi Aoyama / Aoyama Glass Craft | Edo Kiriko | Rock glass | Soda | Blue, Green, Pink | 7cm diameter × 9cm high | Wooden box
Kiku-tsunagi becomes carbonation; thin traces of colour become movement; light becomes the final material. “Soda” is a contemporary Edo Kiriko piece that transforms an ordinary everyday scene into a fleeting visual experience.
Available at IMAMI
IMAMI is a specialist retailer of fine wine, whisky, sake and Japanese drinking vessels including Edo Kiriko. For product availability, please enquire at IMAMI Ginza, IMAMI Shinsaibashi, or contact us.
As each piece is handmade, availability and individual variation may differ.
