Niboshi are little dried fish that are commonly used in Japanese dishes (like miso soup):

Only these aren’t real niboshi, they’re niboshi made by a very talented Japanese wood sculptor, Seiji Kawasaki. You won't find any bones or dashi coming out of these fish, since they're all made from a block of wood and some acrylic paint.

Unsurprisingly, Kawasaki’s super realistic wood sculptures have not gone without notice. They’ve been featured on TV and other various Japanese media outlets, and are frequently displayed at exhibitions throughout the country. Though it looks like he mostly creates sculptures of food, you can also find him sharing sculptures of animals and other seemingly random things, including himself!

Obviously, you wouldn't ever want to bite into any of his creations, no matter how realistic and yummy they may look. They’re made of wood, after all.

If you’re as amazed as we are by what you see, head on over to Kawasaki’s Twitter, Facebook, or website to see more of his sculpted works. If you keep yourself updated, you might even find out when he’ll be participating in an art exhibition next!