KAJIWARA

Kajiwara knives come to us from the Tosa area, which belongs to Kochi Prefecture on the southern Japanese island of Shikoku. The adjacent Niyido River Basin is dotted with fertile rice fields and dense forests. It is a region of fishermen and traditional crafts.

Although Tosa was founded as a city only in 1959, the history of this prefecture dates back to the Edo period. Today, nearly seventy-year-old Master Tsutomu Kajiwara-san belongs to the third generation of renowned blacksmiths. With his son-in-law, he creates the most perfect knives in the area in a traditional way. Just swipe your finger through the blade of uncompromising Hitachi Aogami 2 steel and you will immediately know who you are dealing with. This royal material reaches a hardness of up to 63 HRC and is considered one of the highest quality steels in the industry in Japan. Kajiwara-san transforms the individual layers of noble material into a rich damask pattern, also called suminagashi, reminiscent of his handwriting. It has unrepeatable depth and distinctiveness. His second specialty is elegant Kurouchi blades. Their timeless rustic black finish is popular throughout Japan.

Kajiwara knives are a symbol of craftsmanship perfection applied to the highest quality materials. The blade made of Hitachi Aogami 2 passes through the ferrule from pakka wood into the handle of exotic rosewood. 

  Kajiwara san in his workshop

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