Ito Tekko Co., a foundry based in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, developed a virtually indestructible urinal from cast iron. (The video combines footage provided by Ito Tekko Co. and footage taken by Kyota Tsutsumi.)

Photo/Illutration Cast-iron urinals installed at a public restroom at the Komazawa Olympic Park in Tokyo (Provided by Ito Tekko Co.)

KAWAGUCHI, Saitama Prefecture--A series of vandalism cases at public restrooms led an established foundry here to create a virtually indestructible urinal from cast iron.

Ito Tekko Co. spent five years developing the “strongest receptacle,” which is not damaged even when hit by a 7.5-kilogram iron ball dropped from a height of 1 meter.

Shungo Fujishige, vice chief of the company’s technical department, said the bowl can withstand strikes from almost anything a vandal may brandish.

“It can never be destroyed unless one resorts to a high-performance, industrial power tool,” he said.

Restrooms were vandalized at parks nationwide since around 2012. In a March 2014 case, 85 bowls were smashed at a park in Tokyo’s Nerima Ward, resulting in repair costs totaling 10 million yen ($91,800).

The Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association asked Ito Tekko, a supplier of cast-iron fences and other products, to develop a stronger bowl.

Toilet bowls, typically made of ceramic, are vulnerable to hard blows. Stainless products are also available, but they reflect people who are urinating. The design flexibility and strength are also low.

Ito Tekko decided to create urinals, which are easier to form than toilet basins. The city of Kawaguchi is known for its casting industry.

The company had to solve many problems, such as how to spread water for cleaning over the entire surface and how to keep the water flowing.

Fujishige said the company paid close attention so that its designs would not violate patents held by established toilet makers.

The new urinal, which stands 90 centimeters tall, weighs only 30 kg and is thinner than its ceramic counterparts. It is available in different colors.

The bowl is priced at 100,000 yen ($910), about 50 percent more than conventional products. Still, Ito Tekko says overall costs will be cheaper in the long run because the cast-iron product can be reused.

Four urinals were installed at the Komazawa Olympic Park in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward in March, and one was set up at the Yanaka Cemetery in the capital’s Taito Ward.

The new urinal won the Casting of the Year award from the Japan Foundry Engineering Society, which has led to a growing number of inquiries.

“The urinal is unbreakable and can be reused,” said Kayo Shimizu, vice chief of the engineering and landscape group of Ito Tekko’s sales division. “We hope demand will rise.”