Established in 1951, Shinki Hikaku leather tannery is located in Kobe, Japan. With a strong spirit and culture of Japan, the Shell leather pieces are carefully crafted by the hands of horse leather artisans.
Dubbed as the diamond of leathers, Shell is made from the muscle part around the horse’s butt that forms the surface. It is a very rare and expensive type of leather for three reasons:
- Each horse can only produce two small oval-shaped Shell pieces;
- Nowadays, horse breeding is no longer popular in the world due to the replacement of traction by machinery.
- The processing and tanning technique is very complex. It takes up to 6 months to complete a Shell leather piece..
Because the surface layer of Shell leather is the muscle layer of the horse, it has characteristics such as elasticity. Combined with a smooth and glossy surface treatment, it will give products made from Shell leather an eye-catching appearance and a very high-end feel and touch.
Source Internet and https://www.shinki-hikaku.co.jp/en/