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Opinel is a company that has manufactured and marketed a line of self-named wooden-handled knives since 1890 from its headquarters in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Savoie, France—where the family-run company also operates a museum dedicated to its knives. The company sells approximately 15 million knives annually. Originally sold as a working man's knife, an Opinel knife has become emblematic of French culture, 〔 with Pablo Picasso reportedly using one of the company's knives as a sculpting tool.〔 In 1989, the Larousse dictionary cited "Opinel" as a registered trademark—and in the French language, the term "Opinel" has become a genericized trademark to refer to any wood handled pocket or penknife, not necessarily only those made by the company. ==History== Joseph Opinel began making knives in 1890 in Savoie, France as a simple working man's or ''peasant's knife''.〔''(Musée de l'Opinel: Bienvenue )'', retrieved 5 July 2011〕〔''(Opinel, Savoie's Famous Knife )'', Serveur Savoie〕〔(2007),''(Couteau Opinel, Une lame universelle )'', Directsoir N°233, 30 October 2007〕 It proved popular with the local farmers, herdsmen, and ''paysans-vignerons'' (peasant winemakers) of the area.〔〔''Musée de l'Opinel: Bienvenue'', retrieved 5 July 2011〕〔''Opinel, Savoie's Famous Knife'', Serveur Savoie〕 In 1897, a series of twelve sizes, numbered 1 to 12, was developed.〔''(Opinel History )'', Opinel USA, retrieved 4 July 2011〕 From 1901–1903, Joseph Opinel built his first factory in Pont de Gévoudaz and produced a machine for mass production of the knife's wooden handles.〔 The company hired peddlers to sell the knives and opened a small shop near the Chambéry railway junction, where the knives became popular with PLM railroad workers, who in turn spread word of the brand throughout France.〔〔Serraz, Gabrielle, (2009), ''(Opinel: plus qu’un couteau, un objet culte )'' Les Echoes, 8 July 2009〕 By 1909, Opinel had registered his first trademark for the Opinel knife, choosing the ''main couronnée'' ('crowned hand") as his emblem.〔 A few years later Opinel annual sales were in the hundreds of thousands, and by the start of World War II as many as 20 million knives had been sold.〔''(Opinel in the World )'', Musee De L'Opinel, retrieved 4 July 2011〕 The Opinel ''Virobloc'' or safety twistlock mechanism was invented by Marcel Opinel in 1955, increasing the safety and versatility of the knife by allowing the blade to be locked in the open position.〔〔 In 2000, the Virobloc locking mechanism was improved to allow locking the blade in either the open or closed position.〔〔 In 1985 the Victoria and Albert Museum in London selected the Opinel as part of an exhibit celebrating the “100 most beautiful products in the world”, featuring the Opinel alongside the Porsche 911 sports car and the Rolex watch.〔 The Opinel was also selected as one of the 999 classic designs in ''Phaidon Design Classics'',〔〔 and has been exhibited by the New York's Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) as a design masterpiece.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Opinel knife」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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