Black Pepper Mill

Design  Oji Masanori
Manufacturer  Futagami
Made in  Japan
Dimensions  H 15.5cm x D 5cm
Colour & Materiality  Cast brass, ceramic burr grinder

Designed for the occasion of Mjölk’s 10 year anniversary. Four years in the making, Oji Masanori’s Pepper Mill represents a desire to create the best of its kind, an essential tool to last a lifetime.

Its form and robust weight is meant to evoke a quiet monumentality—to at once stand out and harmonize in a kitchen landscape. The pepper mill is made of Oji’s signature sand-cast brass, a process perfected by Futagami, a brass foundry in the city of Takaoka, on the coast of Japan’s Honshu Island.

Its uniquely textured surface will oxidize, developing a rich patina with age. It features an adjustable ceramic burr grinding mechanism, suitable for pepper, salt, or spices.

Oji Masanori is a Japanese designer with a special interest in the objects of everyday life—his design process involves careful consideration of the lives of its users and the manufacturing process by which it’s created. Professionally trained in calligraphy and architecture, he founded his studio in 2004 after working for several years as an architect and graphic designer. His work is strongly influenced by Japan’s rich history of craft while looking to the future of industry.

Futagami is one of the oldest Japanese brass foundries, located in Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, a place known for its history of brassworks. Founded in 1897, Futagami gained a reputation for the manufacture of fittings for temples in the Buddhist tradition. The company has since developed a contemporary line of homewares, working with the same commitment to quality and technique they have for generations.