Image copyright Chris Brignell/ Alamy

The designer of the iconic Japanese soy sauce bottle has died aged 85.

Kenji Ekuan was also responsible for other design classics, including the Yamaha VMAX motorbike and the Narita Express airport train.

Ekuan, a former Buddhist monk, designed the funnel shaped soy sauce bottle, with red top in 1961.

The design, first used by Japanese food company Kikkoman, became known internationally as the craze for Japanese food swept around the world.

Ekuan said he wanted to design the bottle because he remembered his mother having to pour soy sauce from a big half-gallon bottle when he was a child, AP news agency reported.

He was the recipient of several awards, including the prestigious Italian design prize the Golden Compass Award which he received last year.