Puuko
Knife in a Sheath
1965 (designed)
1965 (designed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Hackman story began in 1790, when the émigré Johan Friedrich Hackman from Bremen was awarded the right to establish a trading house in the Hanseatic city of Vyborg. He soon had a successful timber goods business on his hand, but was driven to seek new opportunities to the west in the territory that is now Finland.
In the early 1800s Hackman bought Sorsakoski – a small factory community in eastern Finland. The purchase included a sawmill, a flourmill and a brick factory. Hackman’s cutlery business began in the neighbouring district of Vyborg in 1876, when Johan Friedrich Hackman the younger was at the helm of the company.
Hackman moved its entire cutlery manufacturing business to Sorsakoski in the early 1890s. The factory community was a microcosmos of Finnish society at the turn of the twentieth century. Companies like Hackman took full responsibility for providing basic services to their employees. When the Sorsakoski sawmill was completely destroyed by fire in 1897, Hackman focused on the metal industry exclusively.
In 1902 Hackman began manufacturing new low-cost cutlery items forged from a single workpiece. The introduction of stainless steel in the 1920s revolutionized the entire cutlery business. Designers could now explore new form factors, while manufacturers benefited from unmatched durability and functionality.
In the 1950s the Sorsakoski factory began manufacturing coffee pots, saucepans and other kitchen accessories, as well as making pipes and containers. By the 1960s design legends like Kaj Franck and Bertel Gardberg had designed iconic cutlery collections for Hackman. In fact, it was the Savonia collection by Adolf Babel that made Sorsakoski the flagship of Nordic cutlery design.
Hackman, now a trademark of the Fiskars Group, continues to be a leading Nordic specialist in cutlery.
Tapio Veli Ilmari Wirkkala (2 June 1915, Hanko – 19 May 1985) was a Finnish designer and sculptor, a major figure of post-war design. His work ranges from plastic ketchup bottles and metal ware to glass, ceramics and plywood in a range of styles. He designed the Finnish markka banknotes introduced in 1955. His range was immense, designing glassware, stoneware, jewellery, and furniture for mass production, as well as individual sculptures in several media.
In the early 1800s Hackman bought Sorsakoski – a small factory community in eastern Finland. The purchase included a sawmill, a flourmill and a brick factory. Hackman’s cutlery business began in the neighbouring district of Vyborg in 1876, when Johan Friedrich Hackman the younger was at the helm of the company.
Hackman moved its entire cutlery manufacturing business to Sorsakoski in the early 1890s. The factory community was a microcosmos of Finnish society at the turn of the twentieth century. Companies like Hackman took full responsibility for providing basic services to their employees. When the Sorsakoski sawmill was completely destroyed by fire in 1897, Hackman focused on the metal industry exclusively.
In 1902 Hackman began manufacturing new low-cost cutlery items forged from a single workpiece. The introduction of stainless steel in the 1920s revolutionized the entire cutlery business. Designers could now explore new form factors, while manufacturers benefited from unmatched durability and functionality.
In the 1950s the Sorsakoski factory began manufacturing coffee pots, saucepans and other kitchen accessories, as well as making pipes and containers. By the 1960s design legends like Kaj Franck and Bertel Gardberg had designed iconic cutlery collections for Hackman. In fact, it was the Savonia collection by Adolf Babel that made Sorsakoski the flagship of Nordic cutlery design.
Hackman, now a trademark of the Fiskars Group, continues to be a leading Nordic specialist in cutlery.
Tapio Veli Ilmari Wirkkala (2 June 1915, Hanko – 19 May 1985) was a Finnish designer and sculptor, a major figure of post-war design. His work ranges from plastic ketchup bottles and metal ware to glass, ceramics and plywood in a range of styles. He designed the Finnish markka banknotes introduced in 1955. His range was immense, designing glassware, stoneware, jewellery, and furniture for mass production, as well as individual sculptures in several media.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Puuko (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | Stainless steel, nylon and brass |
| Brief description | Hunting knife, steel, nylon and brass in a leather sheath, Finland, made by Hackman, designed by Tapio Wirkkala, 1965. |
| Physical description | A `Puuko' or traditional hunting dagger. The blade is of Swedish stainless steel with a black nylon handle and brass mounts. The short blade is straight along one side, the cutting edge curves inwards to meet the straight side in a sharp point. The handle is almost oval in cross section but has two ridges to facilitate the grip. The dagger has a leather sheath with a short leather thong at the top. The leather has had bear grease applied to it to make it more durable; the sheath bears a stamped mark of a bear's paw. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Production type | Limited edition |
| Marks and inscriptions | HACKMAN FINLAND STAINLESS / TAPIO WIRKKALA (Along the upper edge of the blade.) |
| Summary | The Hackman story began in 1790, when the émigré Johan Friedrich Hackman from Bremen was awarded the right to establish a trading house in the Hanseatic city of Vyborg. He soon had a successful timber goods business on his hand, but was driven to seek new opportunities to the west in the territory that is now Finland. In the early 1800s Hackman bought Sorsakoski – a small factory community in eastern Finland. The purchase included a sawmill, a flourmill and a brick factory. Hackman’s cutlery business began in the neighbouring district of Vyborg in 1876, when Johan Friedrich Hackman the younger was at the helm of the company. Hackman moved its entire cutlery manufacturing business to Sorsakoski in the early 1890s. The factory community was a microcosmos of Finnish society at the turn of the twentieth century. Companies like Hackman took full responsibility for providing basic services to their employees. When the Sorsakoski sawmill was completely destroyed by fire in 1897, Hackman focused on the metal industry exclusively. In 1902 Hackman began manufacturing new low-cost cutlery items forged from a single workpiece. The introduction of stainless steel in the 1920s revolutionized the entire cutlery business. Designers could now explore new form factors, while manufacturers benefited from unmatched durability and functionality. In the 1950s the Sorsakoski factory began manufacturing coffee pots, saucepans and other kitchen accessories, as well as making pipes and containers. By the 1960s design legends like Kaj Franck and Bertel Gardberg had designed iconic cutlery collections for Hackman. In fact, it was the Savonia collection by Adolf Babel that made Sorsakoski the flagship of Nordic cutlery design. Hackman, now a trademark of the Fiskars Group, continues to be a leading Nordic specialist in cutlery. Tapio Veli Ilmari Wirkkala (2 June 1915, Hanko – 19 May 1985) was a Finnish designer and sculptor, a major figure of post-war design. His work ranges from plastic ketchup bottles and metal ware to glass, ceramics and plywood in a range of styles. He designed the Finnish markka banknotes introduced in 1955. His range was immense, designing glassware, stoneware, jewellery, and furniture for mass production, as well as individual sculptures in several media. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.7-1968 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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