Photos Go to article Photos In Photos: Precious Japanese turtle shell crafts something to treasure Image 12 of 18 June 1, 2021 A teardrop-shaped bekko chunk is seen imprinted in a wooden board after two pieces were pressed together on a vise at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) A polished teardrop-shaped bekko pendant which was made after attaching two shell pieces via thermocompression bonding is seen at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. Its shine and luster would not make one think that the pendant was originally two pieces. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) Edo bekko crafts with a caramel and dark brown color are seen at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. The items pictured include Kanzashi hair accessories and human-shaped charms with faces drawn on them. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) Hideyuki Isogai, third-generation head of Isogai Bekko Senmonten, is seen examining the patterns and bumps on the surface of a hawksbill turtle shell under a light in order to determine what parts to cut out for creating a bekko ornament at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) Hideyuki Isogai is seen heating iron plates with a gas burner, and checking their temperatures based on the way water evaporates off the plates, at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) Hideyuki Isogai is seen cutting out teardrop-shaped bekko pieces with a fretsaw at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) Hideyuki Isogai is seen examining the shapes and patterns of hawksbill turtle shell fragments in order to bring out and give depth when combining the pieces into one chunk at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) A teardrop-shaped bekko piece is seen being filed with an iron rasp called "gangi" at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) A teardrop-shaped bekko piece is seen being filed with a small carving knife while held between wooden boards to prevent oil on the hands from getting on it, in this photo taken at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) A teardrop-shaped bekko piece is seen being filed with rasp paper while held between wooden boards to prevent oil on the hands from getting on it, in this photo taken at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) Two filed teardrop-shaped bekko pieces are seen in this photo taken at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) Two teardrop-shaped bekko pieces, which are bound together with string and placed between heated iron plates, are being arranged on a vise for thermocompression bonding at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) A teardrop-shaped bekko chunk is seen imprinted in a wooden board after two pieces were pressed together on a vise at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) A teardrop-shaped bekko chunk, which was just created by joining two separate pieces via thermocompression bonding, is seen at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) A teardrop-shaped bekko chunk after thermocompression bonding is seen with its rim cut out and shaped neatly in this photo taken at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) A teardrop-shaped bekko pendant is being polished on a high-speed cylindrical grinding machine wrapped with cloth as the finishing touch to this ornament at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) A taxidermy of a hawksbilll turtle is seen at Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) Hideyuki Isogai, head of Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, is seen speaking during an interview at the shop on April 13, 2021. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto) Hideyuki Isogai, head of Isogai Bekko Senmonten in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, is seen holding a taxidermy of a hawksbill turtle with its stomach facing up in this photo taken at the shop on April 13, 2021. The sea turtle's stomach, referred to as the "shiroko" or "harako," has a honey-yellow color and is extremely valuable material for bekko ornaments. (Mainichi/Akinori Miyamoto)