Torigoe Rectangular Wood Paper Weight

The craftsman's workshop and shop are in Torigoe, in Tokyo's old Edo shitamachi (downtown) — an area still lined with type foundries, canning factories, cloth wholesalers, and hardware stores.

This wood paperweight is made using sashimono joinery — fitting different woods together with no nails — a traditional Japanese craft dating back to the Edo period. Iron is set inside, so it's surprisingly heavy for its size.