Tsuru in Japanese means tool. A knife, at its’ core, is a tool. An integral part of our daily lives which in many ways makes life easier. This fact is often overshadowed by fear and misunderstanding. Inspired by the Japanese Bunka, I set out to make a knife I envisioned would be versatile, usable for the everyday needs of the typical person; a tool first, a ‘knife’ second.
Food prep was of particular focus for this design. Most of us have knives in the kitchen that we don’t psychologically associate with a threat – and as such was a good starting point for this design. The blade shape came from the venerable Bunka – an almost clipped cleaver with either a flat or slightly curved front edge. I opted to curve mine, reducing the piercing aspect of the knife, making it more socially acceptable. The broad cutting edge offers tremendous slicing ability and the incredibly neutral handles are directly inspired by traditional kitchen knives.
The blade grind was of particular focus for me. Typically kitchen knives are extremely thin – allowing them to slice through meat, poultry, and vegetables with ease. Incidentally, many EDC tasks require this same kind of performance – so the kitchen knife blade geometry became my guide. As a result, the Tsuru is ground to match the same angles as most kitchen choppers and slicers and combined with 15/1000ths-in behind the edge thickness; this blade will glide through any chopping or slicing tasks you put under its edge. Many knives are useable in the kitchen and for EDC tasks, but few are a joy to use, the Tsuru is one of them.
I wasn’t the only one to see this particular knife’s potential – it quickly became the most popular post on my Instagram. I was surprised to see that the public resonated so strongly with this concept, however, I was sure that was the end of it. A popular post and nothing more. Then things changed; news came from a friend that Forged Product Development was hosting a design competition and I entered. Despite intense competition and a number of stunning designs, I won first place with the Tsuru! A tremendous honor, Forged Product Development’s competition propelled my design to the eyes of some very influential people and will be featured at their booth during Blade Show in 2021! Words still escape me in my attempts to convey how flattered, honored, and floored I have been for this opportunity.
My goal with the Tsuru is to create a versatile tool for everyday needs and I wish it will be the last tool you need.
• Award Winning Design
• Japanese Bunka blade inspired profile
• Design optimized for kitchen and EDC tasks
• Skiff Made ball bearings
• Flow-through construction for easy cleaning
• Blade Grind: Flat
• Blade Length: 93.4 mm / 3.68 in
• Blade Thickness: 3 mm / 0.118 in
• Handle Thickness: 12 mm / 0.47 in
• Overall Length: 210 mm / 8.27 in