Our Story

 In 2021, in Japan, our story began as I was deeply fascinated by Japanese culture and cuisine. I was there on summer vacation to explore the country and its culture, which was like a dream. I started cooking for myself, so I needed to buy a Japanese knife. I saved up and bought one, and was very satisfied.

The problem I encountered was that maintaining my expensive knife was more complicated than I expected. I had to learn to care for it properly to avoid rust, chipping, and breakage, but it was time-consuming and I eventually damaged the knife.

I sought a better alternative and sought advice from knife experts to help me. I realized that while traditional Japanese knives are sharp, precise, and beautiful, they are fragile and prone to chipping and oxidation without very specific care. Western knives, on the other hand, are robust, durable, and rust-resistant, but lack the precision and agility of Asian knives.

So, I began speaking with many professionals such as knife makers, chefs, and hobbyists, designers to find a solution to my dilemma. Some of them shared my frustration and therefore joined the project.

After two years of hard work, Otakimi was born. This manifesto knife combines the benefits of traditional Japanese and Western knives: it is lightweight, precise, and ultra-sharp like a Japanese knife, while also being rust-resistant, robust, and highly durable like a German knife."