Japanese Vintage Bonito Shaver Plane Box Tansu (11/15/2007)

Japanese Vintage Bonito Shaver Plane Box Tansu (11/15/2007)



Japanese Vintage Bonito Shaver Plane Box Tansu



Japanese Vintage Bonito Shaver Plane Box Tansu

IMPORTANT NOTES
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DETAILS OF ITEM
This piece measures 11" long x 4.5" high x 4.75" wide. T is a plane in the upper part of the box and a drawer. This piece was once often used kitchen tool for shaving dried bonito for stock and the sliding drawer with a handle is a container to receive the shaved bonito. Katsuobushi or dried bonito is the key element behind almost every Japanese food and it is the Flavor of Japan. Until around the 1950's, this item was a commonly used and familiar household item in Japanese kitchen; however, since the ready to use vacuum-sealed commercial packages became available, this once familiar kitchen tool is now a collectible vintage kitchen tool in Japan. Katsuobushi is made by smoking fresh bonito repeatedly and the works of nature completes the process by drying them in the sun together with the use of a type of mold (Eurotium Herbariorum) that absorbs the inner moisture of the fish completely. The most important component of Katsuobushi is Inosinic Acid that gives and enhances the flavor of food. Since the mold literally sucks every drop of moisture out of the fish, Katsuobushi is considered one of the hardest foods in the world, hence the use of a heavy duty plane. The inscription on the piece reads "Nihonbashi, Ninben." Ninben in Nihonbashi Tokyo has specialized exclusively in "katsuobushi", or dried bonito, since it was established in 1699.

This piece also has a rarely seen hinged bottom door panel for an easy clean out of the case. The entire piece was constructed out of Horse Chestnut called Tochi wood. The age of this piece is from the 1950's and it has never been used. T is only a slight amount of rust on the blade that should be easy to clean off.