Meet knife brand Hinoki

Melbourne-based Hinoki founder Hamish Grace is on a mission to make ‘timeless objects of ancient provenance’.

‘At its core, the idea of Hinoki is creating 30 as-close-to-perfect objects that we truly believe you need in your life,’ says Hamish.

‘Hinoki is a company and a product catalogue that’s built on relationships and people. That means when we finally arrive [at an object to create], it’s then about finding the best craftsmen to go out and realise the Hinoki expression of that object.’

In 2018, Hamish released Hinoki’s flagship product, the S1 Gyuto Chef’s Knife, which is hand-forged by master Japanese bladesmiths in Sakai, Osaka.

Hamish personally travelled to Sakai where samurai swords were once made, and convinced a family-run bladesmith company to work with him.

’The bladesmithing industry there is so relationship-driven – there’s only so much that can be achieved online,’ he says. ‘The company is run by a father and son and dates back 120 years.’

Hinoki recently launched a Kickstarter for a more affordable and everyday collection, called the Essential line.