Kathleen Reilly fuses Eastern and Western cultures to reinvent the table knife. Integrating form with function to improve performance and crafted in collaboration with Japanese artisans, Oku has a unique folded handle that hooks onto the edge of a board or plate.

Design Team

Oku by Kathleen Reilly Images by Kakeru Ooka Metal by Factarium Wood by Karimoku Furniture

Oku is a new knife design carefully produced in collaboration with highly skilled craftspeople in Tsubame-Sanjo, an area in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, renowned for its metalworking history for over 400 years.

Influenced by traditional Japanese place settings and arrangement, the design has a unique folded handle that elevates its function, allowing it to interact with objects on the table in new ways.

2023 was devoted to turning Oku into a carefully crafted product. After perfecting the production process with skilled Japanese artisans for over a year, Oku has launched exclusively on Kickstarter from the 25th of June 2024.

Living in Japan and experiencing Japanese culture firsthand hand, Kathleen was inspired by chopstick rests, which hygienically keep chopstick tips off the table. This motivated her to improve the table knife, which often falls or slips off a plate. 'Oku' translates as 'to place' or 'to put' in Japanese. The design combines Western and Japanese aesthetics and functionality.

Oku hooks or wraps elegantly along the edge of a plate or board, creating intimacy between the two objects, improving cleanliness and maintaining stability, while saving space during mealtime. The knife can be turned over and laid flat on top of a board, plate or jar like a conventional table knife.
Oku's board is made from sustainably sourced Japanese wood by Karimoku Furniture, Japan's leading wooden furniture manufacturer in both quality and technology. Karimoku is committed to providing sustainable solutions while demonstrating the skill and artistry of its craftspeople.
The boards incorporate domestic wood that is underutilised in furniture making. Each board is unique, made of strips expertly cut and assembled to recreate a natural wood grain pattern.

Oku's editions allow you to enjoy the qualities and properties of Japan's tree species, expressing the beauty of the forests.

Carefully crafted in collaboration with skilled Japanese artisans, Oku promotes a deeper understanding of the links between Eastern and Western cultures. The design utilises generations-old manufacturing techniques and promotes locally sourced materials and craft skills to challenge centuries-old traditions of Western tableware.

Functional yet unconventional, Oku introduces a refined aesthetic that breathes new life into the dining space.

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