Watertight and beautiful. Saké & Wine Cooler was produced by an Edo Yuioké (wooden container) craftsman. The fully watertight construction is produced with a “Yuioké” technique that securely connects wood with wood. The wood is carved from timber in a curved formation. To ensure that the wood pieces are bound together to become a complete circle, their curvatures are measured with an instrument called a “kama(a)”. The fine straight grain wood comes from a 300-year old Sawara cypress from Kiso in Nagano prefecture. Without relying on a machine, the entire process, with over 70 steps using this scarce wood, is performed by hand. Its distinguished appearance, wound with nickel silver hoops, has such a complete sense of oneness, it is almost impossible to notice where the wood pieces have been joined. This is indeed watertight beauty at its finest. He is one of the few remaining Yuioké craftsmen who can perform this level of excellence. The root of Okeei, which has continued for 130 years, was a container for cooked rice called “Edo-bitsu”. As their skill of perfectly fitting lids to the containers was so sophisticated, the “Edo-bitsu” craftsmen have been highly respected since ancient times. And the Saké & Wine Cooler was born precisely because Okeei inherited this skill. Its beautiful appearance is very picturesque when placed on a table on its own. As wood provides high thermal insulation, the ice cubes inside the cooler last longer; and it offers excellent functionality such as preventing condensation to the surface.