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At Nippon Knives, we love Shikoku. An island with beautiful nature that quietly and unobtrusively lives its life. We love Kochi, where the ocean coast runs through countless rice fields to steep mountains. And, of course, we like local blacksmiths who, in addition to ordinary farm tools, release enormous knives into the world. They do it modestly and quietly, so without the necessary contacts you won't even know about them. Well, as long as your partner is Shinsuke Hokiyama, you're lucky man.
His company Hokiyama Cutlery celebrated its centenary in 2019. You certainly did not miss the BUHO knives from Master Murata, produced in a limited series just for this milestone. Shinsuke is known for espousing new progressive methods of knife making. But like a true Japanese, he does not forget the traditional ones either and meaningfully combines them in his collection of products.
His latest venture is the traditional Wa Bocho knife made of not so usual steel. It is an excellent material from the renowned manufacturer Aichi Steel, which marks it as AUS10. AUS series steels are nothing new. AUS6 is widely represented in the lower class of household knives. AUS8, on the other hand, is a reliable material for a decent middle class of knives. Well, logically, AUS 10 stands at the top of this range. It is often compared to the award-winning VG10, with which it has the same carbon content. Its chemical composition is similar to 440C, but it has a significantly higher chromium content. AUS10 is one of the modern steels with a greater number of alloys. 1.05% carbon ensures a very decent hardness of 60 HRC with proper heat treatment. Fine carbides of silicon and vanadium predestined it for formatting very steep angles of the blade. Of course, you can easily achieve these with Japanese grinding stones.
The manufacturer called the newest line of knives Sakon Bokusui Swirl. It is our good practice to break down complicated Japanese names into an understandable form. Sakon is a brand for "practical" knives, i.e. made of anti-corrosion materials that pampered Europeans don't need to coat with camellia oil. Boku is the term for ink used in calligraphy. Sui, on the other hand, represents the expression of elegance. The last word is borrowed from English and means whirling. If we put it together, we get a Suminagashi-type damascene pattern, and that's exactly what really fascinates us about this knife.
As mentioned above, the core of the blade is made of AUS10 steel. It is lined with 33 layers of nickel and steel on each side. The final drawing is achieved using the pressure method and the result is truly unique. Add black kanji characters and completeness is complete. Not so completely. Let´s add the genuine buffalo horn ring and the smooth magnolia handle, of course, in an octagonal profile.
©2021 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.
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.
