Yanagi Sōri Fruit Knife

This fruit knife is one part of the cutlery series designed by Yanagi Sōri, one of Japan’s most revered product designers of the post-war era. The collection, which first went on sale in 1974, was commissioned by the Satō Shōji corporation. The fruit knife is slightly smaller than the dessert knife and has a distinctive straight edge, sharpened to cut. This series of kitchenware is produced by Nihon Yōshokki in Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture, an area recognized for its high level of metal craftspersonship.

‘Thinking with ones hands’ was Yanagi Sōri’s distinctive design approach, and he was known for his extensive hand-crafted model-making process. Numerous physical models were developed, starting with two-dimensional paper models cut from primary sketches. These were then developed into three-dimensional models crafted from polystyrene foam, in order for every curve of the shape to be inspected. Following this, models would be carved out of wood to confirm the weight and balance of the cutlery in the hand, and finally they were produced in metal to fine tune any remaining elements of the design.

The result is a set of simple cutlery characterized by timelessness and functionality in its meticulously sculpted and perfected form.