KYOCERA Launches INNOVATIONwhite™ Ceramic Kitchen Knives, a Collaboration with Award-Winning Designer Yohei Kuwano
SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – AUGUST 8, 2023 – Kyocera, a global leader in advanced ceramics, has launched INNOVATIONwhite™,a new line of ceramic kitchen knives designed by Japan’s award-winning Yohei Kuwano. The new line features five vibrant colors and is available exclusively on Indiegogo for a limited time.
Made from a patented blend of zirconia and alumina nanoscale particles fused into an extraordinary ceramic, INNOVATIONwhiteknives represent the latest evolution of a material technology Kyocera introduced with its INNOVATIONblack® line, yielding double the long-lasting sharpness of Kyocera’s earlier ceramic blades. The white knives are available with white, black, red, blue, or green handles, shipping in sustainable, plastic-free retail packaging.
The design collaboration with Tokyo-based designer Yohei Kuwano, a first for Kyocera, reflects the company's commitment to innovation and design excellence. An accomplished product designer, Kuwano has received 16 design awards in the last two decades. Using Kyocera’s most advanced blade technology, Kuwano focused on enhancing the handle design of INNOVATIONwhite to provide far better grip ability for different cutting techniques, from slicing and dicing to julienne and chiffonade. The handle tapers gracefully as it connects with the blade, which allows for smoother grip changes. Additionally, the handle’s rounded underside and slightly thicker ends reduce the risk of dropping the knife when hands are wet. The knives are half the weight of their metal counterparts, making them easy to use and control, especially for extensive meal preparation.
“Our ceramic knives combine technological innovation for top performance and ergonomic, intuitive handle design for ease of use,” said Hiroki Fujii, Planning and Development Deputy Manager, Kyocera Corporation. “They are beautiful in their simplicity and usability, making them ideal for any cooking enthusiast. We want to provide tools to help inspire whole food cooking with effortless preparation of vegetables, fruits, and proteins for healthier recipes.”
Already popular in Japan, Kyocera's latest ceramic kitchen cutlery results from a decade of research and development to perfect the composition and sintering of ceramic particles, producing Kyocera’s sharpest and most durable ceramic blades to date. Kyocera's commitment to quality is evident in the hand-sharpening and finishing of each blade by skilled artisans in Japan. The patents featured in this new line include:
- New comfortable and lightweight grip design: USD937045, USD947605
- Stays sharp up to twice as long with optimized ceramic fusion blade edge: US 10,118,302, JP6151878, EP3254812
- Resilient & corrosion-resistant with proprietary zirconia: JP5116246, JP5312523
- Chip-resistant rounded blade edge: JP3905062**
- Ceramic blade sharpness, handcrafted buffing and sharpening: JP2652020**, JP2598947**
“The increased durability and sharpness of INNOVATIONwhite have reduced the need for users to exert excessive force while cutting,” said Mr. Yohei Kuwano, founder of YOHEI KUWANO DESIGN STUDIO. “As a result, it has led to a minimalist design that allows more freedom in how it is held, making the knives more comfortable for each individual, versus other designs that limit finger placement.”
Kyocera's INNOVATIONwhite ceramic knives are the perfect kitchen companion for any cook. The knives are ultra-long-lasting and resistant to acidic foods, corrosion, and staining, making them ideal for daily use in moisture-prone environments such as an outdoor bar. They will never brown food or absorb flavors, thus enhancing a wide variety of dishes from Mexican to Thai and everything in between. They are lightweight and easy to use by home and professional cooks alike. The knives are dishwasher safe and can also be sanitized with a mild bleach solution, if necessary.
INNOVATIONwhite will be available to preorder in the U.S. exclusively through Indiegogo and will feature several favorite knife shapes, including a santoku, a bread knife, and a nakiri vegetable knife. Indiegogo members will receive first access to Kyocera’s most innovative and comfortable ceramic knife series to date along with special perks if they sign up here. The line encompasses eight knife sizes with prices ranging from $40 for a paring knife to $90 for the serrated bread knife.
Kyocera was one of the first companies in the world to begin manufacturing and selling kitchen knives with blades made from Fine Ceramics. Since 1984, Kyocera has been continually enhancing the material technology and design of its ceramic knives, developing its product range with various colors and styles and converting customers worldwide into fans of ceramic kitchen tools. The company is committed to creating new concepts of innovative kitchenware without compromising affordability. Kyocera’s traditional ultra-sharp zirconia ceramic blade will maintain its sharpness up to 10x longer than metal knives, and its INNOVATION lines double that long-lasting sharpness.* Learn more about the craftsmanship behind Kyocera's Japan-made ceramic knives here.
Kyocera Corporation (TOKYO:6971, https://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of Fine Ceramics (also known as "advanced ceramics"). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of industrial and automotive components, semiconductor packages, electronic devices, smart energy systems, printers, copiers, and mobile phones. During the year ended March 31, 2023, the company's consolidated sales revenue totaled 2.0 trillion yen (approx. US$15.1 billion). Kyocera is ranked #671 on Forbes magazine’s 2023 “Global 2000” list of the world’s largest publicly traded companies and has been named among “The World’s 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies” by The Wall Street Journal.
INNOVATIONwhite is a trademark of Kyocera Corporation. INNOVATIONblack is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation. *Based on internal Kyocera testing using the HONDA paper-cutting test method. **Expired.