Until now, making paper goods with small local workshops had been Kakimori’s main focus.
Designing and manufacturing original ink bottles was a far more ambitious project than we’d ever attempted.
There are only a handful of large-scale glass bottle manufacturers in Japan, and guiding us in this undertaking was Yamamura Glass Bottle Manufacturing in Hyogo prefecture.
Established in 1983, Yamamura Glass Bottle Manufacturing employs 70 workers and is a subsidiary of Nihon Yamamura Glass, founded in 1914.
The factory is located in a traditional sake-making region of western Japan thriving with brewers and sake companies to this day.
Sake bottles make up the majority of the bottles they manufacture alongside a variety of others including cosmetic bottles.
Coincidentally, we learned that Kakimori’s previous off-the-shelf ink bottles were also manufactured here.
The factory specialises in unique bottle shapes, and it was this expertise that made our new ink bottle a reality.
When 50,000 bottles were scheduled for production on a single day, we made a site visit with our designer Makoto Koizumi to watch the process in action.
Fired for 24 hours, the furnace can reach up to 1,400 to 1,500 degrees Celsius in temperature.
Hot molten glass is repeatedly cut and dropped into moulds.
One after another, red-hot “dumplings” fall onto the conveyor belt below to be whisked away.
Hundreds of “dumplings” appeared endlessly before our eyes, dancing and spinning as they formed a line.
We stood in awe, transfixed by the extraordinary force of creation that pervaded the air and our senses.
The factory team were equally thrilled by the sight of the finished bottles.
The triumphant look on their faces as they held “dumpling” in their hands heartened us once again.
The Kakimori ink bottle looks as though a fallen drop of molten glass has solidified.
The 20mm opening on an 8-degree angle makes dipping easy without damaging delicate nibs.
The design also allows for effortless refilling of fountain pen converters.
We’re proud to present our ink bottle that’s as charming to use as it is to simply admire.
