"PURPLE STRING" KOGATANA KNIFE - AOGAMI STEEL - OKADA SAN - OUTINOMI x MAGASIN VIVANT!
Indispensable in any good workshop, this type of "Kogatana" is used for many tasks. A small, versatile knife with a perfect design, it is ideal for carving and woodworking, but also serves as a leather knife, a marking knife, or simply an ultra-effective utility cutter. (Essential for sharpening pencils :))
It has a raw-forged (Kuroushi) finish and its handle is wrapped in woven cord for better ergonomics.
Hand-forged by Okada San in the village of Takefu, the cradle of Japanese knife-making, its 5.5cm "San Mai" blade is composed of 3 layers of laminated steel. An extremely hard AOGAMI carbon steel core is sandwiched between two layers of softer iron. This structure combines a "laser" edge with foolproof structural robustness.
- Blade: 3-layer laminate (San Mai) – Hand-forged.
- Dimensions: Handle 100 mm / Blade 55 mm.
- Finish: Kuroushi blade and Purple String handle
- Steel: "AOGAMI" Blue Steel
- Hardness: Approx. 63-64 HRC.
- Handcrafted in Japan
Exclusive OUTINOMI x MAGASIN VIVANT! collaboration:
Together with Outinomi, we select the very best of Japanese craftsmanship and utilitarian design, tools that are as simple as they are intuitive to use for all basic tasks, while ensuring strictly professional quality.
This young company was founded in 2024 by Lucas Hoffalt, a "designer-artisan" who graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. Outinomi represents a bridge between the last great Japanese blacksmiths and Western craftspeople.
Lucas offers tools that have a soul, often sourced from small, traditional forges. His approach is distinguished by an extremely selective process, ranging from new tools to rare "vintage" pieces (Showa era) that he restores himself, sourced for their exceptional forging quality. He values Japanese carbon steel, which he considers vastly superior to modern mass-produced goods.
For Lucas, the tool is not just perceived as a utilitarian object, but as a piece of functional design endowed with its own aesthetics, texture, and poetry. It is this quest for beauty and excellence that naturally led him to Japanese craftsmanship, one of the most demanding in the world.