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Hokiyama Cutlery from the legendary area of Tosa will celebrate the centenary of its existence in 2019. The current owner and grandson of the founder Shinsuke Hokiyama is carefully preparing for this important milestone. For several years, he has been developing a new line of knives called Tosa-Ichi. Japanese knife connoisseurs know that Tosa is an ancient name for the area occupying the southern part of Shikoku Island. It is a place known for a large number of smaller blacksmith workshops. If you want to experience the atmosphere of knife production in the traditional way, you will not miss a trip to Kochi Prefecture. The answer to the question why local production is so different from other areas such as Seki or Tsubame / Sanjo is not complicated at all. On the way to Kochi / the current name of the area / you will notice that the whole prefecture is "thoroughly" isolated from the outside world. It is the Pacific Ocean on the south side and high mountains on the other. This specificity caused the area to develop in its own way, without the influences of the surrounding world. What may have been perceived as a disadvantage in the past is now exclusivity. After all, it is not at all easy to come across high-quality hand-forged knives with a price tag that does not ruin you..
Hokiyama Cutlery cooperates on the island with such masters as Tsutomu Kajiwara or Takeo Murata. Needless to say, these are absolute big names of their craft not only in the Tosa area, but throughout Japan. In addition to finalizing knives from the mentioned masters, the company has its own development and production, including progressive "roll-forging" technology. The potential of the company is evidenced by the fact that it stood at the birth of the ceramic blades of Kyocera, damascene knives with ultra-hard high-speed tool steel cores as well as revolutionary carbide blades .
The knives grouped under the name Tosa-Ichi belongs to the traditional knives. The blades are made either by well-known masters from the Tosa area or directly by Hokiyama blacksmiths. The cores are made exclusively of proven materials with a high carbon content / Aogami, Shirogami /. The name itself speaks about the quality and uniqueness of these knives. Tosa-Ichi can be translated as "The first in the Tosa area." Tosa-Ichi Aogami Super knives have hagane forged from this top line of "blue" steel. Hitachi Ao Blue Super is a designation for the well-known Aogami Super. Its hardness is an uncompromising 64 HRC. Compared to Aogami 1 and Aogami 2, it has a higher content of C, W and Cr. As we are used to with blades San Mai , the core is protected on the sides by softer steel. Yes, you read that right. It is a steel with increased corrosion resistance and not conventional iron. This means that unlike other knives made of traditional high carbon steel, you don't have to take care of the entire blade. Just rub the edge itself with oil. The blade is polished and bears its name in the form of embossed kanji characters.
The light handle, of course in the shape of an octagon, is made of magnolia wood. Using a plastic ring on such a knife would be a real faux pas. Therefore, the manufacturer reached out for today's scarce buffalo horn. The knife looks very decent and does not expose its value side unnecessarily. After all, it is intended for professionals who will immediately understand who they have the honor with.
©2010-2018 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.
