Irogami multiplate – small wavy tray in coloured aluminium from Tsuboe, 10 colours
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Pre-order. Expected delivery end of November.
Irogami multiplate is a small, softly waved plate in coloured aluminium that has not one particular job but many: cutlery rest or knife rest beside the plate, a base for the hot towel when guests arrive, a dish for keys and rings in the hallway or a small stand for a single flower. The waves are irregular, so the plates can be stacked and hooked together in rows.
Coloured aluminium with a soft sheen
The plate is made in Tsuboe's workshop in Tsubame from anodised aluminium in colour alumite. The light falls differently on the waves, so the colour shifts in shades – like folded paper.
Ten colours
Available in Matte Black, Satin Silver, Rose Red, Cherry Pink, Yellow Gold, Champagne Gold, Deep Green, Ice Green, Royal Blue and Sky Blue – choose one colour for the whole table, or give everyone in the family their own. The irogami series is named after Japanese coloured paper and includes a grater, spoon, multiplate, chopsticks and chopstick rest in the same material and finish.
Use and care
Wash by hand in warm water with a mild detergent and dry – not dishwasher safe. The anodised surface is hard and colourfast, but avoid scouring pads.
Specifications
- Material: aluminium alloy, alumite/colour alumite (anodised)
- Dimensions: 90 × 87 × 6 mm – weight 32 g
- Gift box: 110 × 105 × 20 mm
- Dishwasher safe: no
- Made in Tsubame, Japan
Tsuboe is a Japanese family workshop in Tsubame, Niigata Prefecture, that has worked metal for four generations – first as a file maker, today as a specialist in oroshigane, the Japanese grater. Tsubame-Sanjo is Japan's centre for metalware and cutlery, and it was here that Kotaro Kasahara began making files in 1907. Through specialised files for the building trade, the teeth of a file gradually became the teeth of a grater, and in 1993 Tsuboe began producing graters in stainless steel, copper, aluminium and titanium. The fourth generation, Shinji Kasahara, has led the workshop since 2010 and in 2021 was named a Niigata Ken-O Meister for his craftsmanship in honmetate.
Honmetate is the heart of a Tsuboe grater. Traditionally each tooth was raised one by one with a chisel, and rather than pressing the entire grating surface in a single stroke as industry does, Tsuboe developed – after hundreds of prototypes – its own NC machine that strikes one tooth at a time with the precision of the hand. The result is a sharp, irregular arrangement of teeth that grates without crushing – less resistance, longer life and noticeably better flavour and texture in whatever is grated. The workshop's motto: one strike, one tooth, one devotion.
From sheet to finished grater, every piece passes through twelve steps in the Tsubame workshop: blanking, flattening, tooth striking, forming, polishing, washing and laser marking, before every single grating surface is inspected under a loupe. The flagship Gokujo – "the supreme" – arrived in 2019 as a stainless steel grater with container and drainage basket, followed in 2021 by two small graters with teeth in eight directions, developed specifically for ginger and wasabi. The sister series SHIRO gathers simple accessories, while irogami – "coloured paper" – is Tsuboe's colourful aluminium series, in which every piece is formed from a single sheet, as if it were folded paper.
The designer behind irogami: Gensuke Kishi
The irogami grater and chopstick rest were designed by Japanese product designer Gensuke Kishi. He began at a design studio in Tokyo, working on interiors, furniture and products. He has since built his own practice in Europe – first in Amsterdam, then in London and today in Rennes, France. Kishi works with local industries and craft traditions across Europe, Asia and North America. His work is about the presence of objects: how material, weight and small irregularities shape the atmosphere of a space.
The irogami hitohira grater ("piece of grater") dates from 2019. It is shaped like a sheet of paper with a turned-up corner that rests against the hand, so you grate directly over the plate. In 2020 the grater received a GOOD DESIGN Award from The Chicago Athenaeum, and today it is also sold by the MoMA Design Store and the museum shop at M+ in Hong Kong. Kishi also won the grand prize in Tsubame's design competition for young designers in 2019 and silver at the Hong Kong Smart Design Award in 2022. He has exhibited at events including Milan Design Week, Ambiente in Frankfurt, London Design Festival and Maison&Objet.
Related products and collections
A grater from Tsuboe starts life as a flat sheet of metal and passes through twelve steps in the family workshop in Tsubame before it is sent out into the world. Behind every step lies a simple ambition: to make the finest oroshigane – the Japanese grater – with honest craftsmanship and the best possible sharpness and comfort in use. Read about the workshop's history in About Tsuboe.
Honmetate – the pride of the workshop
Traditionally, every tooth on a grater was raised on its own with a chisel – a technique called honmetate. Tsuboe has held on to it and, after many trials and together with a machinery maker, developed its own NC machine that reproduces the technique and precision of the hand. This precise, complex arrangement of teeth is the foundation of the flagship Gokujo, and the workshop's finest graters have grown out of exactly this technique.
Twelve steps from sheet to grater
1. Blanking
Production begins with each product's shape being punched out of the sheet in a press. Tsuboe works in copper, stainless steel, aluminium and titanium, and every sheet arrives with a protective film on one side. Even at this stage, the workshop takes a series of small precautions to keep scratches and dirt off the metal.
2. Flattening
After blanking, each piece is flattened in a press. It looks like a simple step, but it matters: the smoother the surface, the better the tooth striking that follows.
3. Drilling
Holes are drilled in the handle, and the staff check by eye that they sit precisely, both vertically and horizontally.
4. Stamping
Once the holes are drilled, the company name is stamped into the metal. The piece is now ready for tooth striking.
5. Tooth striking – honmetate
This is where the grating surface itself is created. Most mass-produced graters have all their teeth pressed in a single stroke, while Tsuboe's NC machine raises each tooth on its own. More than any other step, this one determines the grater's sharpness, durability and quality.
6. Forming
The flat piece is shaped in three dimensions in a press with purpose-made dies that add edges, recesses and angles. The dies are designed so they do not damage the freshly struck teeth.
7. Polishing
Polishing evens out differences in colour and small irregularities in the surface, removes burrs from blanking and gives either a gloss or a matte finish. Copper handles can discolour during processing, and this too is corrected here.
8. Washing
Oil, dust and metal residue from processing are washed off. The pieces lie in divided baskets so the grating surfaces do not touch and get damaged, and afterwards everything is checked by eye to make sure it is clean.
9. Laser marking
Depending on the product and material, Tsuboe chooses between stamping and laser marking. The flagship Gokujo series is marked by laser.
10. Final inspection
Every single product is inspected individually, usually under a loupe. The closest attention goes to the grating surface, where even small dents or damage are rejected. At Tsuboe, quality is not only a matter of technology but also of the eyes of experienced inspectors.
11. Packing
The products are placed in cases or wrapped in protective material.
12. Shipping
Even the cardboard boxes are checked for dirt and dents before they leave – a damaged box can take something away from the experience of what is inside.
A workshop that makes room for precision
Care, precision and a strict final inspection call for a well-designed workspace. Tsuboe uses trolleys on castors that spare the body and save needless steps, and a clean, orderly workshop has made the whole production more efficient. A good working environment also brings motivation and room for new ideas – which Tsuboe sees as an important part of building the brand.
Three series – each with its own story
The best sharpness takes time, and Tsuboe's graters are the result of generations of work on functional beauty. To secure the workshop for the next 100 or 200 years, Tsuboe has gathered its own products into three series. The name Gokujo – "the supreme" – expresses confidence in the history of oroshigane and the honmetate technique. Gokujo and SHIRO put sharpness and comfort in use at the centre, while irogami adds colour. Each series has its own role and its own story.
Responsible manufacturing
Tsuboe places weight on manufacturing that takes the environment and society into account. The packaging for all the workshop's own series has been redesigned to remove unnecessary wrapping, and the workshop is gradually moving to plastic-free packaging.
Related products and collections
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Where do the images come from?
- Our own photos: We photograph the products from Rune-Jakobsen Woodworks ourselves. They are real, handmade products from our workshop. We also photograph part of the rest of our range ourselves.
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Some of our images have been edited with AI tools. We do this to:
- show the product in a home or kitchen, so you can see it in context
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We do not use AI to change a product's shape, size, proportions, material or colour, and we never show AI-generated products that do not exist. Every image is based on a photo of the real product. We compare every AI-edited image with the physical product before it goes live in our shop.
Our images may inspire you – but they must never promise more than the product can deliver.
Images when choosing a variant
Many of our products come in a wide range of sizes and variants, and we do not yet have images of all of them. The image shown for your selection therefore primarily shows the wood species. It does not necessarily show the exact size or design variant.
Every piece is unique
Many of our products are handmade one-of-a-kind pieces, and natural materials such as wood, ceramics and glass vary from piece to piece. That is why the product you receive will never be completely identical to the one in the picture. This is exactly what sets craftsmanship apart from mass production.
Not sure? We're happy to help.
If you have questions about design, size, wood species or special requests, write to us at info@rune-jakobsen.dk. We will gladly advise you 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.
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- 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.
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 prices (the final price is calculated at checkout):
- Denmark: From 39 DKK to a parcel shop / 59 DKK to a private address. Free shipping on orders over 2,500 DKK.
- Sweden: From 135 SEK. Free shipping on orders over 2,500 SEK.
- EU countries: From 9 EUR.
- Norway: From 159 NOK. Free shipping on orders over 4,000 NOK.
- United Kingdom: DDP from 14 GBP.
- Switzerland / Liechtenstein: DDP from 19 CHF.
- USA: DDP from 35 USD.
- Canada: From 49 CAD.
- Australia: From 85 AUD.
- New Zealand: From 89 NZD.
- Rest of the world: From 35 USD.
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.
All orders are shipped from our workshop and warehouse in Denmark. For customers in the EU, Norway, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, VAT is included in the price at checkout.
- EU: Local VAT is included — no customs duties, no fees.
- Norway: Norwegian VAT is paid in the webshop (VOEC 3053342). Below 3,000 NOK: no customs duty, the order is shipped DAP. Above 3,000 NOK: any customs duty is calculated and paid in the webshop, the order is shipped DDP. No extra charges on delivery.
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- Other countries: Shipped DAP — local duties and fees are collected by the carrier on arrival.
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