I-Hada Bottle Opener, Nisshoku (Eclipse)

A sand-cast bottle opener from a foundry which began working in 1897 in the city of Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. This Nisshoku, or Eclipse design forms a handsomely bevelled double-looped shape, the inner loop to fit over the bottle-top, the outer for leverage. The cast shape is left ‘I-Hada' — with a raw cast surface maintaining any texture or discolouration drawn from the sand into which it was poured, an expression of its solidity, manufacture, and uniqueness. Designed by Oji Masanori. About 77mm x 60mm x 6mm.