{"id":290389,"date":"2026-01-19T10:53:42","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T01:53:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adfwebmagazine.jp\/?p=290389"},"modified":"2026-01-19T10:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T01:58:14","slug":"tojiro-knife-gallery-osaka-wins-dezeen-award-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adfwebmagazine.jp\/en\/design\/tojiro-knife-gallery-osaka-wins-dezeen-award-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Tojiro Knife Gallery Osaka by KATATA YOSHIHITO DESIGN (L\/O) Wins Dezeen Award 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Knife Sales with Live Maintenance, Expressing Japanese Values of Care, Longevity, and Craftsmanship through Contemporary Architecture<\/h3>\r\n

K<\/span>ATATA YOSHIHITO DESIGN<\/a> (L\/O), led by Japanese creative director Yoshihito Katata<\/a>, has been awarded a Dezeen Award 2025<\/a> for Tojiro Knife Gallery Osaka<\/a>, a retail project that rethinks how Japanese cutlery culture can be experienced in a contemporary urban setting. Selected from more than 4,300 entries across over 80 countries, the project was recognised for its conceptual clarity, material precision, and deep cultural grounding.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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View from the entrance toward the gallery, highlighting the linear layout and timber-lined interior.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>

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Wide interior view showing the knife display system and the gallery\u2019s spatial rhythm.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>

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Detail view of knives displayed on timber panels, referencing traditional Japanese construction logic.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Located in Osaka\u2019s historic kitchenware district, the gallery combines a knife retail space with an open maintenance room, allowing visitors to observe sharpening and repair work performed by skilled craftsmen. Rather than concealing these processes, the design places them at the centre of the spatial experience, reflecting a Japanese ethos that values tools as long-term companions rather than disposable goods.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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View through the entrance toward the maintenance room and gallery, making the sharpening process visible to visitors.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>

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Close-up of knife sharpening in the open maintenance room.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>

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Craftsman working at the sharpening machine in the maintenance room.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n

A defining aspect of the project is the integration of production and retail. The maintenance room is equipped with the same machines and tools used at Tojiro<\/a>\u2019s main factory in Tsubame-Sanjo, enabling everything from routine care to complex repairs. By making this infrastructure visible, the space communicates the brand\u2019s philosophy of durability, responsibility, and sustained use.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Interior view of TOJIRO Knife Gallery Osaka, with the yoroi-bari-inspired wall display system for knives.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>

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Central perspective of the gallery, showing the sequence of knife displays and ceiling structure.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>

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Axial view of the retail space, with a central counter and knife displays integrated into the walls.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Architecturally, the gallery reinterprets yoroi-bari, a traditional Japanese construction technique, as a knife display system. Knives appear to float against wooden panels, held in place by concealed magnets and finely calibrated structural detailing that balances safety with visual tension. Inside, warm timber surfaces contrast with an armour-like stainless-steel facade, creating a coherent design language that clearly distinguishes the space\u2019s functions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Interior view emphasizing the continuous knife display and the long, narrow spatial proportion.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>

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Exterior view of TOJIRO Knife Gallery Osaka, with the industrial fa\u00e7ade and a direct view into the interior.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>

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Front elevation view of the shopfront, contrasting the fa\u00e7ade materiality with the warm timber interior.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n

Rather than treating architecture as an end in itself, the design process began by defining what the space needed to convey. From that premise, spatial organisation, material choices, and user experience were developed in reverse. The result is a retail environment in which tradition and industry are structurally intertwined, offering a contemporary expression of Japanese craftsmanship rooted in care, precision, and continuity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

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Entrance view with the gallery visible beyond, connecting exterior and interior as a single sequence.
\r\nPhoto credit: Masaaki Inoue<\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\n\t\t