Company Profile
Sugahara Glassworks has been making glass by hand since 1932. Every piece we sell is blown and finished by our own artisans at our workshop in Kujukuri, Chiba, on the Pacific coast of Japan.
Company Overview
- Company Name
- Sugahara Glassworks Inc.
- Head Office / Factory
- 797 Fujishita, Kujukuri-machi, Sanbu-gun, Chiba 283-0112, Japan
- Established
- September 1961
- President
- Yusuke Sugahara
Company History
- 1932
- Kazuma Sugahara begins a private business manufacturing glassware at what is now 4-chome, Kameido, Koto-ku, Tokyo.
- 1943
- Merges to establish Tokyo Glassware Industry Co., Ltd., following the issuing of a Corporate Reorganization Order.
- 1946
- Begins manufacturing independently again at previous location.
- April 1950
- Relocates the factory to 33-13, Tachibana 4-chome, Sumida-ku, Tokyo, and establishes Sugahara Glass Co., Ltd.
- September 1961
- Establishes Sugahara Glassworks Inc. at 797 Fujishita, Kujukuri-machi, Sanbu-gun, Chiba, with the new factory beginning operation in August 1962.
- November 1974
- Establishes a sales company Keiyo Glassware Co., Ltd. within Sugahara Glass Co., Ltd., moving from subcontracted manufacture to an independent business handling original products. A research group for product development is established within Sugahara Glassworks Inc., mainly comprising craftsmen, to step up the development of new products.
- 1984
- Begins developing products designed by Shohei Mihara.
- September 1984
- Exhibits at the Good Design Corner of Japan Exhibition, organized by a department store in New York, which marks the start of exports to Europe, the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and other countries.
- November 1984
- Establishes Glass House Co., Ltd. at Roi Building, 5-1-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, and begins retailing and wholesaling.
- January 1986
- Holds the GLASS SITUATION Exhibition of new products at Axis Gallery in Roppongi, which subsequently becomes a regular event.
- January 1988
- Changes name from Keiyo Glassware Co., Ltd. to Sugahara Corporation.
- March 1988
- Relocates Glass House to 2F, Hiroo 23 Building, 5-14-14 Minami Azabu, Minato-ku.
- April 1988
- Invites experts in glass blowing and copper wheel engraving from Czechoslovakia, to learn the techniques.
- January 1989
- Begins manufacture and sales of glassware designed by Borek Sipek.
- June 1992
- Starts developing glassware designed by Dominic Habsburg, with sales commencing in October.
- October 1992
- Starts developing glassware designed by Izabel Lam, with sales commencing in the same month.
- December 1994
- Reorganizes Glass House Co., Ltd. into Glass House Sugahara, Inc.
- February 1995
- Opens Glass House Sugahara Ashiya Shop at 3-1 Matsunouchi-cho, Ashiya-shi, Hyogo.
- July 1998
- Opens Glass House Sugahara Aoyama Shop at 3-10-18 Kita Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, to bolster retail operations. Head office of Glass House Sugahara, Inc. relocates to the shop.
- October 1998
- Invites two craftsmen from Ajeto Glassworks of the Czech Republic, for technical exchange.
- March 1999
- Begins developing and selling glass tiles, door knobs, tables, outdoor lighting, and other handmade glassware products for cities and architecture.
- August 2000
- Opens Glass House Sugahara Sendai Shop at 23-19, Tachi-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi.
- December 2000
- Invites two craftsmen from Ajeto Glassworks of Czech Republic, for technical exchange, which is subsequently held each year.
- January 2003
- Exhibits works for the first time at maison & objet, a fair held in Paris, France, with products subsequently exhibited at the fair twice every year. Begins full-scale sales of products to the European market.
- October 2003
- Opens Glass House Sugahara Plus Shop at 5-11-23, Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, as a showroom for business-use tableware and architectural materials.
- October 2004
- Exhibits at Tokyo Designers Week Container Exhibition, and is awarded Design Premio.
- November 2005
- Exhibits at interior design fair 100% Design Tokyo, and announces lamp shades and other products.
- February 2008
- Sugahara Glassworks Inc. and Glass House Sugahara, Inc. merge, with aim of manufacturing products from a perspective that is even closer to users. Announces new logo mark, and begins engraving the mark on new products.
- June 2008
- Glass House Sugahara, managed directly by Sugahara Glassworks Inc., changes name to Sugahara Shops.
- September 2009
- SGHR Sugahara Shop Osaka opens on 3F of Hilton Plaza West. Begins full-scale jewelry development, and announces SGHR Jewelry.
- November 2011
- Opens Sghr café Kujukuri on the head office grounds in Kujukuri, Chiba.
- October 2012
- Yusuke Sugahara becomes President and Representative Director.
- June 2013
- Opens a shop in Abeno Harukas, Osaka.
- October 2014
- Opens a shop in the Hankyu Umeda Main Store, Osaka.
- November 2014
- Reopens the Aoyama shop after renovation.
- December 2014
- Launches the Sghr Rework project.
- May 2015
- Opens the reSt by Sghr café.
- September 2015
- Opens a shop in Matsuya Ginza, Tokyo.
- December 2015
- Opens the Fukuoka shop.
- January 2019
- Opens the Yodoyabashi shop, Osaka.
- May 2019
- Launches Sghr materials, handling glass for architecture and interiors.
- September 2019
- Begins a tableware rental service.
- October 2020
- Begins the Feel Sghr initiative and launches Sghr Recycle.
- March 2022
- Reopens the Fukuoka shop after renovation.