10 Easy Pieces: Japanese Flatware

Everyday dining in Japan is shaped by an enduring reverence for materials and craft. Nowhere is this more evident than in the country’s take on flatware—a Western form reimagined through a Japanese lens. Designers reduce fork tines to their essentials, apply subtle hand-hammering, and finish steel or brass with patina and oxidation, gaining depth over time. Informed by Japan’s long tradition of metalwork, these pieces embody function and refinement, where restraint and utility exist in measured balance. Below are our 10 favorites.

Above: Employing an expertise in metal arts, Yuichi Takemata finishes each piece of the stainless steel Ryo Series Cutlery with hand hammering in his Kanazawa atelier. The pieces are all sold individually and range from $45 to $65 per piece at Nalata Nalata. Above: No list of Japanese cookware or tableware is complete without a nod to the iconic designer Sori Yanagi whose cutlery line was first released in 1974 and is unaltered since. The Sori Yanagi Stainless Flatware Set is handmade in Niigata, Japan and available as a set for $55 at MoMA Design Store. It can also be found at Tortoise General Store sold per piece. Above: From Japanese graphic designer Takenobu Igarashi, the TI-1 Boxed Cutlery Set Matte is made from lightweight 18/10 stainless steel in a matte finish and made in Japan by the human hand and machinery both; $120 for the set at Casa Shop. Above: From prolific designer Oji Masanori for Futagami, the Ihada Flatware Set is made from lead-free silver-plated brass and crude-casted brass handles. Each piece is molded in Takoka City, Japan. $260 for the 3-piece set and $395 for the full 5-piece set at Nalata Nalata. Above: Another design from Sori Yanagi, the same stainless flatware designs as above but adapted with blackened birchwood handles. Handcrafted in Niigata, Japan, the Steel and Birch Wood Handle Flatware starts with prices at $40 per piece from Tortoise General Store. Above: A second design listed from Yuichi Takemata working with experimental forms and traditional metal forging techniques, the Stainless Spoon and Fork Flatware starts at $22.62 at Amahare. Above: The Kinto Hibi Cutlery Set is designed as a timeless basic for the everyday table. (The set is named hibi which means “day to day” in Japanese.) Designed in Japan and made in China, the 18/8 stainless steel set is dishwasher safe and features the elegant lines of Kinto’s design; $42.50 at Kinto. Above: Designed and handmade by Ruka Kikuchi, also known as “Lue,” from his studio in Setouchi, Japan. Lue hand-hammers each piece of this unique Brass Flatware collection from a single piece of unfinished brass. Prices start at $22 (for a small spork shape) and $44 for the smaller pieces in the collection available at Tortoise General Store. Above: True luxury: another antique-like design from Yuichi Takemata, the Patina Silver Flatware starts at $190 per piece at Guild by Roman & Williams. Above: Designed by Graf Studio for Tsubame Shinko, the stainless steel Sunao Cutlery features a slim, straight design with gently curved edges; $72 for the set of 5 pieces at Nalata Nalata. Above: Designed by Yota Kakuda of Common, the Common Stainless Steel Flatware Set is made of 18/8 stainless steel with a matte finish, designed for everyday use. $70 for the set at Canoe.

For more of our flatware picks, see our posts:

• 10 Easy Pieces: Everyday Stainless Steel Flatware
• 10 Easy Pieces: New Artisan Flatware Designs
• 10 Easy Pieces: Traditional Georgian-Style Flatware
• 10 Easy Pieces: Quirky Sculptural Flatware
• 10 Easy Pieces: Architect-Designed Flatware
• 10 Easy Pieces: Midcentury Flatware