Nakano Kagaku Japanese Cutlery Set

Stainless steel cutlery · Five finishes · Tsubame, Niigata

A cutlery set designed from the way Japanese people actually eat

In Japan, chopsticks are used at almost every meal — not only for rice and fish, but often for Western-style dishes too. SUGATA was designed from this reality: not to replicate the decorated tradition of European cutlery, but to strip it back the way chopsticks do. Less ornament, more precision.

Rose

Balanced like chopsticks

Western cutlery usually carries its weight toward the front. Chopsticks do the opposite: the balance sits toward the back, and the tip settles at the right angle on its own. SUGATA brings this balance to the fork, spoon, and knife. Each piece has a slightly different handle thickness, tuned so that it meets food at a natural angle without any adjustment from the hand.

The spoon bowl was shaped with the same care: deep enough to hold a good mouthful, yet shallow enough to slip in and out of the mouth without opening wide. The design was refined by having many different people eat with it.

"We pursued a bowl depth that was enough to hold food without requiring the mouth to open wide — something that works for both men and women. We tested it by having many different people eat with it. The handle thickness is also different for each piece — fork, spoon, knife — so that each one naturally arrives at the right angle, like chopsticks."
— Nakano, Nakano Kagaku

Three specialists, more than two years

SUGATA was born in Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata, the center of Japanese metalworking for more than 400 years. Three specialists came together to make it: Yamazaki Kinzoku Kogyo, the Tsubame maker whose cutlery has been used at the Nobel Prize banquet; Nakano Kagaku, a surface-finishing company founded in Tsubame in 1956; and Akiko Tsurumoto, a brand consultant and producer with decades of experience in art and design worldwide.

It took more than two years of trial and error to arrive at the final form.

Five finishes, each made a different way

Nakano Kagaku tested a wide range of its own finishing techniques on SUGATA and chose the five best suited to it. No paint or dye is used on any of them.

White
A special matte treatment by Nakano Kagaku. A fine texture on the surface creates a soft, silky white with no gloss. Lovely for everyday meals, and especially for desserts.

Silver
Mirror-polished to the same standard as the cutlery used at the Nobel Prize banquet, with a clean, bright shine.

Black
Colored by oxide coloring: the steel's own oxide film is thickened until it appears black. No paint, no coating — a deep black that will not peel.

Gold
24-karat gold plating over a finely polished surface, for celebrations and special occasions.

Rose
Pink gold plating, an alloy of 24-karat gold and copper. A warm tone that brings to mind fine jewelry.

Left to right: Black · White · Silver · Gold · Rose

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