To inspire users before a shoot, or to help them unwind after one, Canon Japan has launched a range of traditional ‘Edo Kiriko’ cut glass tumblers with designs based on photography themes. The company has employed the Mitsuwa Glass Crafts studio in Tokyo that uses traditional Edo Kiriko cutting techniques to shape light as it passes through the glass. The studio has come up with a series of designs that either look like a lens, feel like the dials on an EOS camera, actually have a lens designed into the base or which are decorated with the visual expression of the sound of a shutter.

There are two basic shapes of glasses to choose from, each with variations in the design of the cuts and patterns. One has the ribbed pattern of a lens focusing ring cut into the sides and is made from a mixture of black and clear glass, while others have an aperture iris pattern in the base and come in red or blue glass.

The designer said that the idea was to capture the things we can’t see in the lines cut into the glass such as the sound of a shutter tripping, as well as the shapes and patterns of light.

Edo Kiriko is a particular way of cutting glass in Japan and is considered a highly skilled craft. All glasses have to be cut by hand and have to use specific materials, and when colored a very thin layer has to be used – which made creating the jet black especially difficult.

The glasses will be available to order from December but may take up to three months for delivery as they are all handmade. Prices will be from ¥13000 (approx. $125). While these glasses are made for Canon users they can be enjoyed by owners of all camera brands without adapters. For more information see the Canon Japan website.