Using hand-forged wrought iron tools and the lathe, Murase’s smooth and sculpted curves emulate the Japanese akoda melon. Delicately and with great focus, each individual pore is chiseled into the surface of the lacquer coating, creating lifelike skin. This creative innovation seems out of place in human hands; so skillful is Murase’s technique that one might mistake the tea caddy for the akoda melon itself.