Oku Butter Knife and Board
A knife with a distinctive folded handle design, allowing it to hook onto the side of the cutting surface and avoid the blade touching the table, accompanied by a board of sustainably sourced wood.
This distinctive knife design is inspired by chopstick rests that raise chopstick tips hygienically off the table. The folded detail of the handle similarly keeps the knife blade elevated from any surface by hooking onto the rim of the chopping board or plate. This knife was produced through a collaboration of Scottish artist and metal worker, Kathleen Reilly, and the highly skilled craftspeople in Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, an area renowned for metalworking. Reilly became intrigued by the metalworking town of Tsubame-Sanjo through the Biology of Metal: Metal Craftsmanship in Tsubame-Sanjo exhibition at Japan House London in 2018. She was awarded a Daiwa Scholarship by the Daiwa-Anglo Japanese Foundation in 2019 to live in Tsubame-Sanjo and develop her craft by learning technical knowledge passed down through generations through a work placement at a cutlery factory.
The wooden board is crafted with sustainably sourced Japanese wood of sakura (cherry blossom) and hinoki (Japanese cypress). Strips of underused domestic wood are assembled to reveal the pattern of natural grain. The sakura is a durable hard wood with a smooth surface and moderate weight. The hinoki is a lighter softwood with a refreshing aroma used since ancient times for a range of functions, from bathtubs to temples. It has natural antibacterial properties and is water resistant.
Individual items will differ from one another slightly, due to their handmade nature and natural materials.
Size of butter knife : L17xW2xD1.5cm
Size of wooden board : L17xW9.5×1.3cm
Chūbu
The central Chūbu region is predominantly mountainous, home to the rugged Japan Alps with coasts on both the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. The region's history has been shaped by its strategic position between the great cities of Kyoto and Tokyo with Nagoya at its heart. Niigata lies to the north while Mt Fuji can be found in the south in Shizuoka Prefecture.
