iiza

Those who are not on the Nippon Knives website for the first time know where the best knives are made in Japan and why. These are areas with more than 700 year tradition, so it's no surprise that this is where the most well-known manufacturers work. We bring our customers knives from centers such as  Seki, Sakai, Tsubame, Tosa and it's time to present the last  of course not meaningfully - Takefu.

At the end of the 19th century, Japan underwent a reorganization of the country's administrative division, which, among other things, changed the names of many cities and areas. However, some Japanese use the original names, especially when certain localities have a long craft tradition. This is also the case of Takefu. It's his historical name, now called Echizen and belongs to Fukui Prefecture on Honshu. 

We brought you a little taste of this area some time ago in the form of hand-forged knives Kasumi from the renowned master  Katsushige Anryu . Now, we'd like to mention Takefu a little more extensively, as it definitely deserves it. 

We have to start in the period of Nanbokucho / 1336 - 1392 / when there were two imperial courts in Japan at the same time. North in Kyoto and South in Yoshin. The emperors fought a 50-year war with each other, and in the end, Kyoto enjoyed the overall victory. During this period, the famous swordsman Kuniyasu Chiyozuru worked in Takefu. Taking the length of the fighting period between the enemy emperors, he certainly had no problem selling his swords. However, the patronage of the god of war Ares was soon taken over by the peasant goddess Démeter, and the blacksmith began making scythes and other tools needed for local peasants. It is rumored that the grinding stone with which he bred his blades had the shape of the guard lion of Shintu shrines. He gave him the idea that a blacksmith should make swords only as a symbol of a warrior and not swords that take people's lives. This credo is still being held by Takefu blacksmiths. 

They are rightly very proud of the blacksmith's trade in Echizen. Various associations are formed there, whose task is to preserve the art of hizukuri . It is a hand forging of two different hard materials. The hard steel hagane forms the core of the blade, while the softer jigane forms the supporting part of the blade. The whole process is very demanding not only physically but also professionally. The input multilayer material is solid and forging it to the required thin thickness requires endless forging. At the same time, it is necessary to control the temperature regimes that the masters define by the color of the red-hot iron. The result is uchihamono , from which you can directly feel the soul of its creator. A well-known association in Echizene is the  Takefu Knife Village , which brings together experienced masters, including Katsushige Anryu. 

The city is also home to one of the most important suppliers of cutlery in Japan - Takefu Special Steel Co.Ltd. This steel plant is well known today for its iconic VG-10 cobalt steel. 

Another "guardian of tradition" is the Echizen Brand Products Consortium, which covers important local crafts. Through gradual evolution, the consortium transformed into the "iiza" association. This name was created by combining two Japanese expressions: "ii" - good and "za" - assembly. It is the historical name of the markets in ancient Japan. They called a good gathering a meeting of craftsmen and merchants, where they presented the best local products. "Iiza" has preserved this tradition and today it brings us top products from the Takefu area. Of course, we're most interested in knives, so let's take a closer look at them.  San Mai three-layer knives with steel handles, 33-layer Damascus knives with walnut handles and 71-layer Coreless knives with maple handles. 

Nippon Knives brings you the most exclusive "iiza" has to offer. 

& copy; 2019 Copyright Roman Ulík, Nippon Knives, www.japonskenoze.sk all rights reserved.

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