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When a new product is associated with a story, it adds another dimension. And that is exactly the case here.
Kibune Shrine, or also Kifune Jinja, is a Shinto shrine in the village of the same name near Kyoto. It is dedicated to the goddess of water and rain, Tamayori-hime-no-mikoto. She is worshipped mainly by those whose livelihood is connected with seafaring or the food industry. One such shrine is also located in the city of Seki. After all, knife production is closely related to food. It is not surprising that this deity became a priority for the family of the founder of Suncraft.
Shinto shrines are known for the huge trees that grow on their grounds. They represent certain virtues and are therefore a very important element of these sacred complexes. In 2019, a strong typhoon hit Seki. A more than 300-year-old oak tree at Kibune Shrine fell victim. Due to the long-standing relationship between the Kawashima family and the priest of this shrine, Suncraft was able to purchase part of the trunk of the uprooted tree. The priest consecrated it before handing it over.
The question arose of how to use the sacred wood. Given its limited quantity, the choice fell on the ferrule of the new limited edition of luxury knives. There was too little usable wood to make entire handles. The ferrule, although it may not seem like it, is a rather demanding element in the construction of the knife. It is quite subtle for its role. A small amount of material is used to hold the blade in place and at the same time strengthen the end of the handle. Therefore, solid and stable materials such as resin, stabilized wood or horn are most often used for their production. However, this is a solid wood with all its quirks. This problem caused a significant slippage in the production of the edition. However, a solution was found and today we can enjoy this masterpiece. The edition was named Senzo Dawn, meaning the beauty of dawn. It consists of only two knives, but they are worth it. Gyuto with a 200 mm blade and Petty with 150 mm. A total of 2000 pieces were produced. Although the knives are not numbered, each importer can receive numbered cassettes.
The blade has 101 layers. Its beautiful Suminagashi damascene pattern stands out perfectly on a special dark base, which the manufacturer called Jet Black. The core is made of high-speed tool steel SPG2 processed by powder metallurgy. The hardness of SPG2 is up to 63HRC. The blade has a convex Hamaguri grind. The sacred oak ferrule is separated from the octagonal handle by a brass ring. The stabilized pakkawood wood used for the handle has a beautiful texture. An interesting detail is the ferrule cap with a damascene pattern.
Such a product cannot be placed anywhere other than in a dignified wooden sarcophagus. The cassette is made of paulownia and the importer's logo and the serial number of the knife are laser engraved on the bottom.
Senzo Dawn, as the flagship of the Suncraft company, was immediately accepted into our Nippon Knives' Top Gun Academy.
©2025 Copyright Roman Ulík, Nippon Knives, www.japonskenoze.sk all rights reserved.
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