Hatsu Tomoe-ha Culter Coquinarius by Kairi Eguchi

Hatsu Tomoe-ha Culter Coquinarius by Kairi Eguchi is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum in Instrumenta Culinae Competition Category.

ArgentumInstrumenta Culinae· 2025

Hatsu Tomoe-ha Culter Coquinarius

by Kairi Eguchi

Client: Hatsu

Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum Winner in Instrumenta Culinae Category

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Verified Award Winner
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The Design

About Hatsu Tomoe-ha Culter Coquinarius

Hatsu Tomoe-ha est culter coquinarius qui munera cultri omnium usuum et cultri decorticandi in una lamina coniungit. Lamina radio laser ex chalybe immaculato rubigini resistente secatur ac deinde acuitur ut acies diu duret. Lamina ad basim quadraginta millimetra lata est atque ad cuspidem angustatur. Manubrium e ligno Hoonoki factum est, quod cultrum levem et compactum servat. Forma manubrii vim facile adhiberi sinit, ita ut coqui rudes cultro facile utantur. Parva magnitudo culinis compactis convenit et in tabula secandi apte collocatur.

The Recognition

About the Praemium A' Design Award Argenteum

Hatsu Tomoe-ha Culter Coquinarius victor est Praemii A' Design Award Argenteum, honoris eximie amplissimi formis summi generis, pulchris et conspicuis dati. Victores Argenti opera valde splendida et creandi ingenio praedita sunt, quae praestantem peritiam, talentum et acumen auctorum suorum ostendunt. Exspectatur Hatsu Tomoe-ha Culter Coquinarius opus mirabile, exemplare, valde professionale et penitus novum fore. Haec forma Argento victa inventum notabile et admiratum est, quod ad fines artis, scientiae, formandi rationis et technologiae promovendos confert. Hatsu Tomoe-ha Culter Coquinarius creatio est, quam multi invident, quae cupiditates excitat, sensus bonos affert et admirationem miraculumque movet.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Tomoe-ha is a kitchen knife that incorporates the dual usage of an all-purpose knife and a paring knife into one single utensil. It is made for people who are starting to live alone or for those who want to enjoy cooking with their children. Especially in countries with small living quarters like Japan,
having a simple yet highly functional mini kitchen knife makes cooking in a limited kitchen space more enjoyable. Tomoe-ha enables the user for an easier daily cooking routine and sustains that lifestyle for a longer period of time.
Dimensions & Packaging: W225×D18×H40mm. Blade length: 130mm
Tags: Japanese, sharperner, knife, handcrafted, blade
Production Technology: Steel is laser-cut to take its unique shape and then sharpened to turn into a working blade. The blade is made of rust-resistant stainless steel (locally termed as
"VG7") for long-lasting sharpness. The handle is manufactured by a woodworks company specializing in making knife handles for Echizen blades. Made from Hoonoki wood, it makes the handle light and compact. The overall shape of the handle makes it easy to apply force, so that even first-time cooks can use this
knife with ease.
Design Challenge: Finding the right balance between an all-purpose knife and a paring knife. In the end, we end up with a blade with a new kind of shape that has not existed before in any kitchen knives.
Research: The shape of the hybrid blade is the result of comparing the shapes and sizes of various small Santoku knives and a petty knives. In order to be used for both functions, we came up with a blade width of 40 mm at the base and a narrower blade towards the tip.
Inspiration: The Tomoe-ha mini kitchen knife combines the best features of the small Santoku knives (all-purpose knives) and petty knives (paring knives). The Japanese characters used for the name "Tomoe-ha” means ‘having two characteristics in equal measure,’. The characteristics of the small Santoku knife (used for cutting big things) and the petty knife (used for cutting vegetables) represents the idea of Tomoe-ha by incorporating both functionality into a knife that bears a single blade.
Project Duration: Manufacturing was done in Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture. Design was done in Osaka, with frequent visits to Fukui Prefecture for quality control.
Operation Flow: Tomoe-ha fits the right size to use for cutting fruits and sliced cabbages for quick and easy cooking. It is also small enough to fit on a cutting board, making it easy to use in a compact kitchen, thus making the daily routine of cooking easier for the user.
Team Members: Designer: Kairi Eguchi
Image Credits: #1 Kairi Eguchi (Product Designer) Yuma Ono (Assistant Designer), Main Image, 2024. #2 Kairi Eguchi (Product Designer) Yuma Ono (Assistant Designer), Zoom-in, 2024. #3 Tsutomu Ogino (Photographer), Kiwi, 2024. #4 Tsutomu Ogino (Photographer), Carrot, 2024.