Love Sori Yanagi. Except That Soup Spoon.
We own a bunch of Sori Yanagi pieces: flatware set, 18cm kitchen knife, ladle (L), stainless tongs without holes, and the 22cm iron frying pan. My wife liked the line first; I happily followed. They’re carefully designed and give a small hit of joy every time we use them.
Favorite: the ladle
This ladle is absurdly easy to use. The subtle oval bowl suits soups and stews perfectly, so it’s on daily rotation. We also had a MUJI ladle, but the oval wins over a simple circle.
Runner-up: the butter knife
We used a cheap Daiso butter knife before. The Yanagi version’s weight, balance, and broad scraping face are just right—instant starter. I picked up the whole flatware set; buying piece by piece would have worked, but the set felt better value.
But the spoons…
The ladle’s odd shape is great, but that same skewed, deep bowl shows up on the spoons. Anyone else find them fussy? Both small and large spoons are noticeably deep and slightly twisted. Scooping instant coffee is fine; eating pudding leaves a little stuck in the bowl and feels awkward.
Worst offender: the soup spoon
It sits between a ladle and a spoon. Sipping broth is easy, but grabbing chunks is annoying. We put something in most soups, so the shape doesn’t shine. Despite buying the set, the big spoons now live in the cupboard.
Frying pan—mixed feelings
We have the “Magma Plate” iron pan with micro-ridges. It’s thinner than typical iron, conducts heat fast, has a well-balanced handle, tight-fitting lid, and ladle-like pour lips—great details. But it does stick if you don’t pre-oil like any other iron pan. Not sure how much the ridges help.
We also own the standard 20cm iron pan. Sticking feels about the same. The 20cm is heavier; the Magma Plate handles better. Thickness equals heat retention: Yanagi pans heat quickly but cool quickly. For steak, a thicker pan that holds heat might be better.
So, who was Sori Yanagi?
Profile – SORI YANAGI Support Site
Bio pages say little about the person. The butterfly stool—two bent boards forming a butterfly—is the iconic piece. I found more in the book “Creating My Own Work”:
- He shapes by hand first, no drawings; even bridges start as hand-formed models.
- Sketches? Nope. Hands first.
- Butterfly stool began as bent PVC sheet; “this could be a chair.”
- No early photoreal renders; ideas evolve too much for that.
- Takes 1–2 years; expensive, slow, but that’s the craft.
Takeaway
The butter knife and pans feel “just right” because Yanagi obsessed over the form. Same for the ladle—neither too heavy nor too light, simply usable. That makes the spoons extra frustrating. Maybe he just had a big mouth and designed for it?
