{"id":10144,"date":"2025-11-18T05:00:39","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T06:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/?p=10144"},"modified":"2025-11-21T12:31:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T12:31:02","slug":"l-o-designs-osaka-shop-to-celebrate-artistry-and-utility-of-japanese-knives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/18\/l-o-designs-osaka-shop-to-celebrate-artistry-and-utility-of-japanese-knives\/","title":{"rendered":"L\/O designs Osaka shop to &#8220;celebrate artistry and utility&#8221; of Japanese knives"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"852\" height=\"852\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"attachment-homepage_article_featured size-homepage_article_featured lazyload\" alt=\"Tojiro Knife Gallery in Osaka by L\/O\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-src=\"https:\/\/rutha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sq-katata-yoshihito-tojiro-knife-gallery_dezeen_2364_col_0-852x852-1.jpg\"><\/div>\n<p>A traditional Japanese cladding method informed the overlapping wooden panels used to display knives at Tojiro Knife Gallery in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/tag\/osaka\/\">Osaka<\/a>, Japan, designed by creative agency L\/O.<span id=\"more-2263484\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Set in Doguyasuji Alley arcade, which is home to many speciality vendors selling kitchenware and culinary tools, the shop is knife company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tojiro-japan.com\/\">Tojiro<\/a>&#8216;s flagship in the Kansai region.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2270114\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2270114\" style=\"width: 2364px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2270114 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Tojiro Knife Gallery in Osaka by L\/O \" width=\"2364\" height=\"1576\" data-src=\"https:\/\/rutha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/katata-yoshihito-tojiro-knife-gallery_dezeen_2364_col_8.jpg\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2270114\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tojiro Knife Gallery is set in Osaka&#8217;s Doguyasuji Alley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.l-o.design\/\">Yoshihito&#8217;<\/a>s design for the retail space aimed to highlight the manufacturer&#8217;s commitment to combining traditional Japanese craftsmanship with modern innovation.<\/p>\n<p>The existing retail unit was completely renovated to incorporate a knife gallery alongside a maintenance room that allows visitors to observe knife sharpening through a large window.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2270108\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2270108\" style=\"width: 2364px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2270108 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Wood-panelled knife shop\" width=\"2364\" height=\"1577\" data-src=\"https:\/\/rutha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/katata-yoshihito-tojiro-knife-gallery_dezeen_2364_col_2.jpg\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2270108\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wood-panelled walls conceal LED lighting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The two spaces are distinct in their material treatments, with the gallery displaying a warm and welcoming wood-lined interior, while the maintenance area replicates Tojiro&#8217;s factory in Tsubame-Sanjo.<\/p>\n<p>The minimalist gallery features wood-panelled walls that conceal LED lighting and a magnetic fixing system that holds the knives securely in place.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2270112\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2270112\" style=\"width: 1891px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2270112 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Knives on wooden wall panels\" width=\"1891\" height=\"2364\" data-src=\"https:\/\/rutha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/katata-yoshihito-tojiro-knife-gallery_dezeen_2364_col_6-scaled-1.jpg\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2270112\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Knives float in place using a magnetic fixing system<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The overlapping panels reference traditional yoroi-bari construction, which is used to create durable and protective external cladding for buildings.<\/p>\n<p>Yoroi-bari is itself informed by the yoroi armour worn by Japanese samurai warriors, which comprised numerous small metal plates held together with silk or leather cords.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"related-in-article-wrapper\" id=\"recommended-item-single-story\">\n<article class=\"related-in-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/2024\/10\/30\/four-seasons-osaka-gensui-floor-simplicity\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- Can this image be in the exclude lightbox list? --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"191\" height=\"191\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"excludeLightbox wp-post-image lazyload\" alt=\"Tatami seating area on Gensui floor of Four Seasons Osaka hotel\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-src=\"https:\/\/rutha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sq-four-seasons-osaka-simplicity-interiors-gensui-floor_dezeen_2364_col_0-191x191-1.jpg\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-in-article-text\">\n<h1>Read:<\/h1>\n<h2>Simplicity sets Osaka&#8217;s &#8220;first modern ryokan&#8221; inside Nikken Sekkei high-rise<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n<\/aside>\n<p>In the store, knives are presented against wood veneer surfaces, creating a consistent natural look while allowing the blades to adhere to magnets behind. Horizontal stoppers below the knives provide additional protection against them falling.<\/p>\n<p>The wooden backdrop was designed to suggest cutting boards, according to L\/O founder Katata Yoshihito, while the maintenance room offers an industrially inspired contrast.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2270113\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2270113\" style=\"width: 1891px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2270113 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Tojiro Knife Gallery in Osaka by L\/O \" width=\"1891\" height=\"2364\" data-src=\"https:\/\/rutha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/katata-yoshihito-tojiro-knife-gallery_dezeen_2364_col_7-scaled-1.jpg\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2270113\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The shop also has a small maintenance room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;By fusing industrial and traditional materials, the design creates a seamless, immersive space that celebrates the artistry, heritage and utility of Japanese knives,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>The store&#8217;s facade creates a link between the two spaces, with factory-like galvanised metal cladding applied using the yoroi-bari technique.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2270116\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2270116\" style=\"width: 1577px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2270116 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Person sharpening a knife\" width=\"1577\" height=\"2364\" data-src=\"https:\/\/rutha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/katata-yoshihito-tojiro-knife-gallery_dezeen_2364_col_10-scaled-1.jpg\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2270116\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The maintenance room is where knives get sharpened<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The inclusion of the maintenance area helps to highlight the craftsmanship involved with knife manufacturing and repair, argues Yoshihito.<\/p>\n<p>Tojiro Knife Gallery has\u00a0been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/awards\/2025\/shortlists\/interiors\/retail-interior-small\/\">shortlisted for a 2025 Dezeen Award in the small retail interior<\/a> category. Other projects in the running include an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/2025\/06\/05\/madrid-aesop-store-las-salesas-ciszak-dalmas-matteo-ferrari\/\">Aesop store organised around four rediscovered cast iron columns<\/a> and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/awards\/2025\/shortlists\/atelier-ms-min-retail-space\/\">Shanghai clothing shop by Neri&amp;Hu<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\/2025\/11\/18\/katata-yoshihito-tojiro-knife-gallery-osaka\/\">L\/O designs Osaka shop to &#8220;celebrate artistry and utility&#8221; of Japanese knives<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dezeen.com\">Dezeen<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A traditional Japanese cladding method informed the overlapping wooden panels used to display knives at Tojiro Knife Gallery in Osaka, Japan, designed by creative agency &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10149,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture","latest_post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10144"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10180,"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10144\/revisions\/10180"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}