A conventional Japanese cladding methodology knowledgeable the overlapping picket panels used to show knives at Tojiro Knife Gallery in Osaka, Japan, designed by artistic company L/O.
Set in Doguyasuji Alley arcade, which is residence to many speciality distributors promoting kitchenware and culinary instruments, the store is knife firm Tojiro’s flagship within the Kansai area.
Yoshihito’s design for the retail house aimed to spotlight the producer’s dedication to combining conventional Japanese craftsmanship with fashionable innovation.
The prevailing retail unit was fully renovated to include a knife gallery alongside a upkeep room that permits guests to watch knife sharpening by means of a big window.
The 2 areas are distinct of their materials therapies, with the gallery displaying a heat and welcoming wood-lined inside, whereas the upkeep space replicates Tojiro’s manufacturing unit in Tsubame-Sanjo.
The minimalist gallery options wood-panelled partitions that conceal LED lighting and a magnetic fixing system that holds the knives securely in place.
The overlapping panels reference conventional yoroi-bari building, which is used to create sturdy and protecting exterior cladding for buildings.
Yoroi-bari is itself knowledgeable by the yoroi armour worn by Japanese samurai warriors, which comprised quite a few small metallic plates held along with silk or leather-based cords.
Simplicity units Osaka’s “first fashionable ryokan” inside Nikken Sekkei high-rise
Within the retailer, knives are offered in opposition to wooden veneer surfaces, making a constant pure look whereas permitting the blades to stick to magnets behind. Horizontal stoppers beneath the knives present further safety in opposition to them falling.
The picket backdrop was designed to counsel slicing boards, in response to L/O founder Katata Yoshihito, whereas the upkeep room provides an industrially impressed distinction.
“By fusing industrial and conventional supplies, the design creates a seamless, immersive house that celebrates the artistry, heritage and utility of Japanese knives,” he mentioned.
The shop’s facade creates a hyperlink between the 2 areas, with factory-like galvanised metallic cladding utilized utilizing the yoroi-bari method.
The inclusion of the upkeep space helps to spotlight the craftsmanship concerned with knife manufacturing and restore, argues Yoshihito.
Tojiro Knife Gallery has been shortlisted for a 2025 Dezeen Award within the small retail inside class. Different tasks within the working embrace an Aesop retailer organised round 4 rediscovered forged iron columns and a Shanghai clothes store by Neri&Hu.
