Shell Cordovan

About Leather

Tannery: Shinki Hikaku
Country of Origin: Japan
Species: Horse
Tannage: Vegetable

There are only a few tanneries in the world that produce shell cordovan as it is extremely difficult to perfect and very labor intensive to produce. The shell cordovan from Shinki Hikaku offers deep, rich colour and has the perfect lustre finish rather than being too glossy. Shell Cordovan comes from one very specific area on the horse hide - above the hind legs in the rump section. In this area, the muscle fibers are extremely dense and uniform. Each horse hide only yields 2 or 3 square feet of cordovan at most so it is extremely rare and expensive.

About The Tannery

Shinki Leather Co., Ltd. is a tannery specializing in horse leather, which was founded in 1951.Shinki leather cordovan is transported by sea from Europe, and after a long aging period and tanning period, the dense fiber layer that exists only in the buttocks of horses is scraped from the back side, and it takes time and effort to ripen and dry again. The process of making cordovan takes over 10 months to complete. Also known as "King of Leather" or "Leather Diamond", its unique luster and profound texture deserve its name.