Many men become obsessed with "Shanghai roses" even before they set foot in the city, held fast by the imaginary fragrance of the flowers and their enchantingly suggestive intimacy.
Its greatest exponent is Yasuki Hiramatsu, born into a family of metalsmiths, who, through an annealing process, can twist a single length of gold or silver into a ring or necklace enchantingly resembling a minimalist bird's-nest.