まるこツールとは / About Maruko Tools

  ​1999年春、まるこツールは宙吹きガラス用道具の製作工房として活動を開始しました。その前年、多摩美時代から交友があったガラス作家の高橋禎彦君（写真右端、大学の研究室時代）のアドバイスを受け立ち上げたものです。まるこツールという名前、そして犬のマークも彼に作ってもらいました。その後たくさんの作家さんのアドバイスを取り入れて改善がなされ、少しずつ支持されるようになりました。

2006年6月のUSA GASカンファレンスにおいてがGAS事務局より販売要請を頂き高評価を頂きました。ラッキーなことに持ち込んだツールを完売することができ、飛躍的に知名度が高まったことで現在まで仕事を続けることができており、大変感謝しております。
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熱いガラスの成形を思うように形作る一体感を皆様に感じていただければ幸いです。

まるこツール　永井 伸

Although I have enjoyed working with steel for many years, it was only in 1998 that a friend convinced me to build my own studio to create high-quality tools for glass-blowing artists. In fact, he was the one who named the venture Maruko Tools and created the dog logo.

In the spring of 1999, I officially opened the Maruko Tools studio in a small village in the shadow of Mt. Fuji. There, I set out to craft the very best tools I could create. Over the years, many artists and craftspeople, both in Japan and overseas, offered suggestions about how to improve our product line, and thanks to their contributions, the Maruko brand has become recognized worldwide as a guarantee of outstanding quality.

In 2006, I started exhibiting these products overseas, beginning with the GAS conference in the US. Everyone who handled my tools was impressed, and much to my surprise, the entire stock that I’d brought to the conference sold out on the spot. That was really the beginning of my international business. 
Today, Maruko Tools continues to craft the very finest products I know how to make. Just as with beautiful glass, each piece takes a great deal of time and sweat and hard work to create. If I find any tiny flaw, or for any reason am not completely satisfied with the result, I toss it away and start over.

I started out wanting my little studio to be one of the best workshops in Japan. Over many years, thanks to the kind support of friends and artists around the globe, it has become known as one of the best in the world. I could not be more proud.

I sincerely hope that the artists who use these tools will cherish and respect them as I do. And to all those who create beautiful things with Maruko tools, I hope that someday I will get to see your work in a show, a gallery, or a museum somewhere.

Sincerely,
​Shin Nagai