Matsubokkuri: The Flamework Alchemy of Borosilicate Glass
The Flamework Alchemy of Borosilicate Glass
For nearly three decades, Glass Studio Matsubokkuri (ガラス工房まつぼっくり) has been transforming borosilicate glass into some of Japan's most distinctive handmade glass pens. Founder Kiyoshi Matsumura trained for a decade as a physics-and-chemistry glassware craftsman before striking out on his own in 1995, working the oxygen torch out of a quiet workshop in Suginami, Tokyo. It was around 2007, drawing on everything he had learned shaping glass rings, pendants, and vessels, that he turned his hand-torch skills toward the pen — and Matsubokkuri's glass pens were born.
A Craft Defined by Lightness and Individuality
What sets a Matsubokkuri pen apart is what's inside it: with the exception of the Triangle and Crystal series, every pen is blown from hollow glass tubing rather than a solid rod, making it remarkably light in the hand and easy to write with for extended periods. Because each piece is shaped freehand at the torch, no two pens are ever quite identical — subtle variations in the spiral cuts, the placement of trapped mica or gold, and the depth of colour give every pen its own character. Matsumura backs each one with a written guarantee of writing performance and offers nib repair and adjustment for the life of the pen.
Bringing Matsubokkuri to Canada
Shosai is proud to bring Kiyoshi Matsumura's handmade glass pens to enthusiasts across the Ottawa–Gatineau National Capital Region and throughout Canada. As one of the few Canadian retailers carrying Matsubokkuri, we curate a selection spanning the mirror-bright Crystal and Triangle series, the gold-flecked Tsubu-Tsubu pens, the ethereal Storm Glass pens, and maki-e lacquer collaborations with Wajima artisans — each one hand-tested and swatched in-house before it reaches our shelves.