Ah yes, Zhong Xina

Italian as in Italian American?

That’s right.

Not right!

I found some more information here:

This is a sculpture of the Gin-namazu-onari Kabuto (“Silver Catfish Tail Helmet”) loved by Toshinaga Maeda, second Lord of the Kaga Domain and founder of Takaoka. The helmet features a unique catfish tail shape. The huge helmet, which stands at 400 cm tall and weighs 400 kg, was crafted in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the establishment of Takaoka by the Takaoka Traditional Industries Youth Association, made up of young artisans in Takaoka copperware, Takaoka lacquerware, etc.

I had it last time I went there, expecting some kind of funky flavor but… Apart from the black shell, it’s exactly like a normal chicken egg.