This glass by the Kagomania brand is intended for shochu, the distilled spirit often drunk in Kagoshima.

To aid in getting in the mood for this drink, it is adorned with some famous figures of Kagoshima history. There is Takamori Saigo, a key protagonist in the Meiji Restoration, and his contemporary Toshimichi Ōkubo. There is also Nariakira Shimazu, the progressive lord of Satsuma who advanced the two samurai to positions of power. These are figures from a period in which Satsuma’s story was Japan’s story. There is also a depiction of the Sakurajima volcano, the eruptions of which mirror the temperament of many of the samurai of the early Meiji period.

The designs were drawn by Motohiro Waki, the founder of Kagomania.

The glasses are 8cm high and 7.5cm in diameter.  They weigh around 220g, and hold 180ml of liquid.

About Kagomania

The modern stories and identity of Kagoshima are told in the work of Motohiro Waki and his Kagomania brand. A designer, illustrator and observer of his home region, Waki makes work characterised by its humour and bold lines in drawing scenes from history and local geography. Waki frequently draws an expressive Saigo Takamori, the complex folk hero of the late Satsuma era, together with his dog Tsun for example. Alongside volcanoes, daikon radishes and other symbols recognisable of Kagoshima - Waki’s work provides contemporary narration of what it means to have roots in old Satsuma.