This is a tool used to extract soy sauce. In the past, before commercially available soy sauce, it seems that each household made the base for soy sauce from soybeans, and professionals would go from house to house to squeeze the soybeans. The professionals would put the soybean base into a bag, lay it horizontally inside this box, place a board on top, and compress it. The soy sauce would then flow into the grooves carved in the bottom of the box and come out from the spout. The aged patina is wonderful. The protrusions on the sides are thought to have been used to hang a rope for compression. This soy sauce extractor is also reminiscent of the Sakafune Stone in Nara Prefecture. The dimensions are approximately: length from end to spout, 62 cm; box length, 43 cm; width, 32 cm; depth, 24 cm. Images 13 to 15 are examples of use, and the contents of the box are not included in the sale. - Material: Wood - Color: Dark Brown - Design: Traditional Japanese style with a handle - Interior Pattern: Decorative arrow pattern on the bottom Thank you for viewing.