Founded in 1949, the Hokuyo Glass Company began as a manufacturer of glass fishing floats. Occasionally, some of the floats would detach from the fish breeding traps, gradually drifting across the pacific before washing up on the west coast of the United States. If local beachgoers were lucky enough to stumble upon fragments, they’d treasure them due to fascination with the kanji character 北 – meaning north – stamped on the bottom.

Now, Hokuyo Glass repurposes these discarded artefacts to create its Tsugaru Vidro range. Found along the Aomori shoreline in Japan, the aqua-green glass fishing floats are first melted down, then handblown into a selection of bowls, carafes, and pitchers that retain the original object’s smooth lines. Finally, they’re re-stamped with the signature kanji character, ready to be given a new lease of life in your home.