Known in Japan as oroshigane, this traditional mini grater is used for ginger, garlic, and small vegetables like radish. Copper is the choice material, being neither too soft nor too hard. To produce it, a thin copper sheet is first pounded with a spring hammer to strengthen the metal before it is cut by hand into the classic shape. After being plated in tin, the teeth are cut and raised tooth by tooth—a painstaking technique that survives from the Edo period. The result is a rather elegant tool that always grates cleanly and never crushes.