Obon – handmade Japanese tray in brass

The Sakami Kogei workshop in Tokyo is owned by Mr. Sakami, who has been involved in metalworking for 26 years.

Although he is the founder, Mr. Sakami is not strictly speaking the "first generation".

He was born into a family in Kyoto that had been metal workers for generations.

As Mr. Sakami says:

“My parents, my siblings, my cousins, my relatives, they all do metal work.

There's metalwork everywhere you look - it's an ancient craft."

A large part of the production takes place on a heavy lathe, where round trays and plates are created from metal. The traditional Japanese craft is called 'Hera Shibori'. It is a method where a metal plate is fixed in a mold and rotated while the plate is pressed against the mold with a rod called a spatula. It takes great craftsmanship and experience to know exactly how to angle the spatula and how much force to apply. Finally, the tray is given a brushed finish by a traditional matting process called 'Metsuke'.

Inspiration: Japanese craftsmanship: the difference between handmade and industrial production · Crafts with origins

Relevant products and collections

• Kogei – Japanese craftsmanship
• Kagami Crystal

Real products, honest pictures

With us, craftsmanship, materials and aesthetics are at the heart of everything we do. Our product images are designed to give you an honest and inspiring impression of what you're getting – without unnecessary staging.

The vast majority of product photos in our webshop are therefore taken by us – whether it's a grinder, a magnetic knife holder, a serving board or one of our textiles. The images of our wooden products always show genuine, handmade products that we photograph before they are packed and sent to their new owners.

To give you a better idea of ​​how the products will look in different homes and kitchens, we sometimes insert these original photos into AI-generated rooms or backgrounds. Only the background is artificial – the product itself is never altered or AI-generated. Every grain, edge, color, and detail you see belongs to the physical product we created.

We also occasionally receive photos from satisfied customers who give us permission to use them in the webshop. These photos provide an honest and inspiring insight into how our products look in real homes and environments.

No artificial product renderings. No misleading visual enhancements. Just real craftsmanship, photographed honestly.

Indicative images when choosing a variant

We are constantly expanding our product gallery. As many of our products come in a variety of sizes and variations, we do not yet have images of all of them. The image shown when you select a product primarily illustrates the selected wood type – not necessarily the specific size or design variation.

Every piece of wood is unique

Wood is a living natural material, and our passion is to create unique products with character. The grain patterns and color play will therefore naturally vary from product to product. Please consider our images as guiding inspiration and an indication of the quality we deliver.

If you have any questions, we're happy to help.

Do you have any questions about design, size, wood type or special requests? Do not hesitate to contact us at info@rune-jakobsen.dk so that we can guide you to the right choice before you order.

In brief:

• Fixed prices all year round — no sales, no Black Friday, no discount codes. Buy 3 or more tea towels and get 10% off.
• Payment by MasterCard, VISA, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, MobilePay and local payment methods. In-stock items are charged on dispatch; Woodworks orders are charged when production starts.
• 30-day right of withdrawal on all products — including made-to-order Woodworks products.
• 2-year right of complaint for manufacturing and material defects under the Danish Sale of Goods Act.
• Seller: Rune-Jakobsen Design ApS, Tiendemarken 14 A, Gudum, 9280 Storvorde, Denmark. CVR 46593359.

Read the full terms and conditions

In-stock items are dispatched within 1-2 working days. Handmade products are made to order — the current lead time is shown on the product page.

We ship with Postnord/DPD, GLS, DHL or UPS, and you choose the carrier and service level yourself at checkout. Shipping is calculated by weight, dimensions and delivery address — we add no margin to shipping.

Starting price (the final price is calculated at checkout):

• Australia: From 85 AUD.

Read the full shipping policy · Customs, VAT and taxes by country

You have a 30-day right of withdrawal on all products — including made-to-order Woodworks products. Notify us at info@rune-jakobsen.dk within 30 days of receipt; you then have 14 days to return the item unused and undamaged.

You pay the cost of the return shipment yourself, unless it is a complaint. Danish customers can order a return label via Shipmondo. Once we have received the item, we refund the full purchase price.

Return address: Rune-Jakobsen Design ApS, Att.: Kari Rune-Jakobsen, Tiendemarken 14 A, Gudum, 9280 Storvorde, Denmark.

Complaints: Under the Sale of Goods Act you have a 2-year right of complaint for manufacturing and material defects. For a justified complaint we cover the cost of the return shipment.

Read the full return and refund policy

All orders are shipped from our workshop and warehouse in Denmark.

• Australia: Shipped DAP. Under 1,000 AUD: no duties or GST. Over 1,000 AUD: duties and GST are collected by the carrier before delivery.

Read all details on customs, VAT and taxes by country