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Crafted as a Noble's Gift.
Worn today by very few.
SHIMADZU SATSUMA KIRIKO - The Japanese Crystal
The Japanese Crystal
Japanese Craftsmanship for a brighter tomorrow
A Legacy of the 800-Year
Shimadzu Dynasty
Satsuma Kiriko was born under Shimadzu Nariakira, the 28th head of the Shimadzu clan, a samurai dynasty whose lineage spans eight centuries.
Treasured as a gift exchanged among feudal lords, it is said to have been chosen for the bridal trousseau of Princess Atsuhime when she married into the ruling Tokugawa shogunate.
Deep and Lustrous
The Kin-aka of Satsuma Kiriko
Made with real gold and perfected through many painstaking stages, Kin-aka ("gold red") is a rare color that only the highest level of mastery can achieve.
Thick layers of colored glass give it profound depth and a soft, glowing light: the dignified radiance that belongs to Satsuma Kiriko alone.
Bokashi, A Technique Found
Nowhere Else in the World
Layered in kilns reaching 1,500°C, then cut and polished with 0.1 mm precision.
By cutting deeply and gently through thick layers of colored glass, artisans create bokashi: a gradation in which color melts into clarity.
This depth and weight give Satsuma Kiriko a brilliance unlike any other.
A Radiance
Found Only Here
Since its founding, kay me has championed those who dare to take on new challenges. Now, together with Shimadzu Satsuma Kiriko, we unveil a first-ever jewelry line.
The artistry handed down through the Shimadzu family, reimagined as modern jewelry.
We chose Kin-aka for its deep, powerful glow, a quiet flame that rekindles your courage to move forward each time you wear it.
An exceptional brilliance, available nowhere else.
Collection
Exhibition
Experience a Singular Piece
in Person
in Person
Watch Kin-aka deepen as the light shifts. Feel the substantial weight of hand-cut crystal in your palm.
At our Ginza Flagship and our Singapore boutique, you are invited to experience its brilliance and texture firsthand, and make it yours.
＊A limited number of pieces are available to take home on the day.
＊For subsequent orders, delivery is approximately three months from the date of order.
Provenance
A Treasure Reserved
for the Ruling Elite
for the Ruling Elite
Three Cultures Converge
Into a World-Class Craft
Satsuma Kiriko flourished under Lord Shimadzu Nariakira as a fine art crafted with an eye toward international trade.
Drawing on Chinese techniques for cased, color-layered glass and on European cutting methods, it added bokashi, a distinctly Japanese aesthetic akin to the soft gradations of ink-wash painting, and was elevated into a color and brilliance unique to Satsuma.
The Noble Radiance
Beloved by Lords
Created with a global vision and with no expense spared, Satsuma Kiriko was a rare treasure that only a select few could ever possess.
Treasured as a gift exchanged among feudal lords, it is said to have been chosen for the bridal trousseau of Princess Atsuhime when she married into the shogun's family.
Its deep colors and rich brilliance were a light that spoke of status and prestige, an elegance that has endured across the centuries.
Grace and Gravitas
The Elusive Kin-aka
Kin-aka, one of the defining colors of Satsuma Kiriko, is a rare red made with gold, perfected through many stages and demanding exceptional skill.
When the thick layer of colored glass is cut deeply, bokashi emerges: deep crimson dissolving gracefully into clarity.
Its rich, profound color and gentle light embody the refinement that is Satsuma Kiriko's alone.
Craftsmanship
Capturing Color, Carving Light
The Making of Satsuma Kiriko
The Making of Satsuma Kiriko
Mastering Heat,
Breathing Life into Glass
Glass is melted at temperatures of up to 1,500°C, and colored glass is layered over clear.
The thickness of the color, its intensity, its transparency: the slightest difference changes how light enters the glass.
The profound brilliance within Kin-aka comes from master artisans who read molten glass with an expert eye.
Uniting Color
and Light
Satsuma Kiriko is made by layering thick colored glass over clear glass.
This very thickness is the foundation of bokashi, the gradation from deep color to clarity revealed by deep cutting.
Artisans judge the precise thickness that yields a beautiful gradation, then blow each piece to suit its form. It is a feat made possible only by years of experience and instinct.
Carving Light by Hand,
to a Tenth of a Millimeter
The intricate patterns and gradations of Satsuma Kiriko are shaped by gradually cutting away thick colored glass.
Reading the thickness of the glass and engraving the design with precision demands handwork accurate to 0.1 mm.
One cut can never be undone. Under that tension, the artisan carves light, line by line.
The Final Polish,
Where Everything Is at Stake
Polishing, the final stage, brings flawless clarity and deep brilliance.
The slightest misjudgment of heat or pressure can shatter glass that has already passed through so many stages.
Not a moment's lapse in focus is permitted. It is a stage of unbroken tension, until the very end.
“Bokashi”
Color into Light
The hallmark of Satsuma Kiriko is the shifting of color created by bokashi.
From deep color into transparency, the boundary between color and light melts seamlessly away.
Strong, deep, yet soft: this delicate afterglow of color is the source of Satsuma Kiriko's grace.
Designed by
Ms. Nakane
A Leading Figure in the Revival of Satsuma Kiriko
A Leading Figure in the Revival of Satsuma Kiriko
"This asymmetrical heart carries a belief: no two people are alike, and no two shine in quite the same way.
I reinterpreted the traditional spider-web motif, which is said to catch good fortune, to express that each of us is a star shining in our own right.
For the Kin-aka, made with pure gold, we used colored glass roughly twice the usual thickness. That added thickness makes balancing the depth of each cut and the polish far more demanding. Reading the character of every individual piece of glass, we drew out a bokashi of remarkable depth.
I hope that each time you wear it close to your heart, it reminds you of your own strength, your own radiance, and the courage to move forward."
Gallery
Shimadzu Satsuma Kiriko
Shimadzu Satsuma Kiriko Collection
A Talisman of Courage,
Aglow with Kin-aka, for Every Day
View the CollectionOur Mission
The Spirit of kay me
Preserving Japan's
Traditional Crafts
kay me is dedicated to preserving Japan's traditional crafts, renowned worldwide for their exceptional skill and value.
One such craft is Oshima Tsumugi, a silk textile handed down on the island of Amami Oshima. With its distinctive texture born of mud dyeing and its meticulous hand-weaving, it is counted among the "three great textiles of the world."
Through collaborations like these, kay me carries irreplaceable Japanese artistry forward to the next generation.
Supporting
Japanese Craftsmanship
Every kay me creation carries the passion and pride of artisans across Japan.
Performance textiles from Owari, dyeing from Kyoto, knitwear from Gosen in Niigata, tailoring from Tokyo, and more.
By uniting regional traditions with cutting-edge technology, we create clothing that perfects both design and function.