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One of the most important knife producers on Shikoku Island, the company Hokiyama Cutlery , celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019. The demand for knives from the Tosa area (now Kochi) is so high that their manufacturers have filled their capacities more than a year in advance. This phenomenon, which has been typical lately, has also affected a product as important as the anniversary knife is. It came with more than a year's slip.
100 years on the market is a respectable time, and so is the knife made on this occasion. Shinsuke Hokiyama has long kept secret what it will look like, but insiders knew he would address Takea Murata in his work. After all, who else should have the honor if not this mage of hand-forged blades. Along with Tsutomu Kajiwara , he is one of the most respected blacksmiths in the Tosa area.
Takeo Murata trained in his uncle Tokaji's workshop. Tokaji belonged to a clan of sword makers that dates back several centuries. Ten years later, Takeo became independent and opened his own workshop. His natural talent, combined with his immense diligence, soon formed a concept. It is said that he can forge 100 blade shapes like no other. Perfectly masters omotenuki - the traditional way of forging. In the workshop, he works with an incandescent 40W light bulb. This dimmed light helps him to recognize the shades of red-hot iron that define the correct temperature modes of the forging phases. He is assisted in his work by his wife Mikiko, with whom he has formed a great team.
It's time to look at BUHO - Hokiyama 100th Anniversary model, Limited Edition . Shinsuke Hokiyama opted for the
universal Japanese Santoku knife in a combination of a traditional blade and a "western" handle full tang . The blade is of course layered. In this case, it's a classic san mai three layers. The core is made of Yasuki , specifically Aogami 1. It is very hard due to its high carbon content and tungsten. 64 HRC guarantees extreme blade durability and soft iron on the sides for decent grinding comfort. Hand-forged blades stay in the fire for much longer, which causes carbon to burn. The blade is therefore black. The Japanese call it kurouchi . Such a blade is usually further ground and polished to a mirror effect. However, many manufacturers leave it in black. Not only does the knife have a much-needed patina, but such a treatment resists corrosion a little more than polished metal.
We can see kurouchi blades almost exclusively at wa bocho - Japanese style knife half tang . However, BUHO knives have a robust full tang construction with a forged nickel-silver alloy bolster. Welding the stainless steel frame of the handle with Aogami steel requires demanding technology. And that's exactly what Hokiyama Cutlery has. This process takes place before the forging itself. The welds are therefore fixed on the raw three-layer material, which travels to Master Murata. After forging the blade, the knife returns to fix the handle. It is made of quality micarta in three colors / black, white, orange / and fastened with three rivets. The last one is the most important. In addition to the text Since 1919-2019 100th Anniversary , it also bears the serial number of the knife. Collectors pay attention. Yes, this is a limited edition! It will probably not be difficult to guess the number of knives in the edition. One knife for each year.
Don't miss the rare opportunity to own one of 100 ultimate knives.
©2020 Copyright Roman Ulík, Nippon Knives,www.japonskenoze.sk, all rights reserved.
Photographs and texts are protected by copyright and their use is not possible without the author's consent.
About producer
Tosa is the ancient name of today's Kochi Prefecture, which is located in the southern part of the island of Shikoku. The north of the prefecture is made up of inhospitable mountains, which towards the south pass into a fertile plain filled with countless rice fields. They are protected from possible tsunami waves by barriers built on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean. Connoisseurs of Japanese blacksmithing will not call this area anything other than Tosa.
For more than 800 years, the interlaced steel made famous by samurai swords has been forged in Tosa. It can be said that this area has become a kind of "open-air museum" of traditional blacksmithing. You will find small workshops scattered here, in which individual family generations create gems that are incomprehensible to us. It is almost a rule that father and son work in the workshop to ensure the continuity of the tradition. All kinds of blades are made here, from agricultural tools to rare knives, but in a diametrically different way than in the Seki, Sakai, or Tsubame/Sanjo areas. Knives intended for decoration were never produced here, but durable work tools. That is why knives from Tosa are sought after by connoisseurs all over the world.
Since 1919, the Hokiyama Cutlery company has been among the pioneers in improving the traditional production of kitchen knives. In accordance with the motto "the good must be preserved and, if possible, also improved", Shinsuke Hokiyama created 3 lines in his company: traditional, practical and innovative.
The traditional line /Tosa-Ichi/ consists of hand-forged blades from such masters as Takeo Murata. It is a layered steel, the core of which is high-carbon shirogami or aogami type steel. Hitachi Blue Super is used for the best pieces. The blades are most often in the unpolished form of kurouchi. Knives require care, as this material is not anti-corrosive. The practical line /Sakon/ is a symbiosis of traditional production procedures with modern materials and design. In addition to high-carbon steel, very hard powder tool steel and damascene steel are also used. Emphasis is placed on precisely processed and ergonomically tuned handles. The innovative line /Mugen/ is the pride of Hokiyama Cutlery. It adopts advances from other fields into the production of its knives. These are mainly self-sharpening knives SAKON+ with the patented Vee-Tech technology taken from the aviation and space industry.
Friendly relations with the owner of Hokiyama Cutlery, Mr. Shinsuke Hokiyama, enabled us to gradually bring you the most interesting knives from the legendary Tosa region.
©2010-2018 Copyright Roman Ulík, Nippon Knives, www.japonskenoze.sk all rights reserved.
Photos and texts are protected by copyright law and their use without the author's consent is not possible.
