Oku butter knife and board

Kathleen Reilly is a Scottish-born Tokyo-based artist and metalworker. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in London, Kathleen moved to Japan as a winner of the Daiwa Foundation Scholarship. Spending two years training in Tsubame-Sanjo developing Oku, which won Dezeen Awards 2022 Homeware design of the year. Oku is a new knife design produced in collaboration with highly skilled craftspeople in Tsubame-Sanjo, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, renowned for its metalworking history over 400 years. Oku’s innovative form utilises generations-old manufacturing techniques. Functional yet unconventional and influenced by traditional Japanese place settings and arrangement. Oku has a unique folded handle that elevates its function. The set includes a board crafted from domestic Japanese Sakura (cherry blossoms) wood manufactured by Karimoku Furniture. A hardwood Sakura is durable and smooth to the touch. Each board is unique, made of strips expertly cut and assembled to recreate a natural wood grain pattern. The Oku knife and board share a unified function expressed through the form of each.