Analyzing the design of unusual Japanese butter tableware

I always enjoy Rain Noe's posts on the Core77 design blog. Today, Rain took a look at Japanese butter implements. I want them all.

Let's talk about two things that used to not go together: Japan and butter. Like other East Asian cultures, butter was never a part of the traditional Japanese diet, and was actually treated with disgust when introduced by Europeans in the 19th century.

(Fun politically-incorrect fact: When living in Japan, I learned that the word "butter" was used in an outdated anti-foreigner slur. Both Westerners and overtly Western things were referred to as bata-kusai, "kusai" being Japanese for "stink." It was thought that eating butter produced uniquely European body odor, hence the slur was "butter stinkers.")