Hatsu Tomoe-ha Kjøkkenkniv by Kairi Eguchi

Hatsu Tomoe-ha Kjøkkenkniv by Kairi Eguchi is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award i Sølv in Bakeutstyr, servise, drikkeutstyr og kokeutstyrdesign Competition Category.

SølvKjøkkenutstyr· 2025

Hatsu Tomoe-ha Kjøkkenkniv

by Kairi Eguchi

Client: Hatsu

A' Design Award i Sølv Winner in Kjøkkenutstyr Category

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The Design

About Hatsu Tomoe-ha Kjøkkenkniv

Hatsu Tomoe-ha er en kjøkkenkniv som kombinerer funksjonene til en universalkniv og en skrellekniv i ett blad. Bladet er laserskåret fra rustbestandig rustfritt stål og deretter slipt for langvarig skarphet. Bladet måler 40 mm i bredde ved basen og smalner mot spissen. Håndtaket er laget av Honoki-tre, noe som holder kniven lett og kompakt. Håndtakets form gjør det enkelt å legge kraft i skjæringen, slik at også førstegangskokker kan bruke kniven med letthet. Den lille størrelsen passer til kompakte kjøkken og får plass på et skjærebrett.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award i Sølv

Hatsu Tomoe-ha Kjøkkenkniv er vinner av A' Design Award i Sølv, en usedvanlig prestisjefylt anerkjennelse som tildeles design i toppklassen som er nydelige og imponerende. Sølvvinnere er enormt briljante og usedvanlig kreative verk som viser designernes enestående ekspertise, talent og skarpsindighet. Hatsu Tomoe-ha Kjøkkenkniv forventes å være et praktfullt utstillingsverk som er bemerkelsesverdig profesjonelt og dypt nyskapende. Dette designet, som har vunnet A' Design Award i Sølv, er en svært bemerkelsesverdig, beundret oppfinnelse som gagner og flytter grensene for kunst, vitenskap, design og teknologi. Hatsu Tomoe-ha Kjøkkenkniv er et skaperverk mange misunner, som vekker ønsker, gir positive følelser og vekker undring og forundring.

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.