Kurouchi Kiridashi

Asano Kajiya is a swordmaking company based out of Hashima City, in Gifu Prefecture. Asano Taro is a nationally recognized swordmaker, a very prestigious honor in an industry that is very highly regulated. He started apprenticing in the practice of swordmaking in 1997 under Fujiwara Kanefusa, a 25th generation swordmaker. Asano-san is a very involved member in the community, giving talks all throughout Japan and internationally and devoting a lot of his time to research to the sword and steel making industry. The company started making kitchen knives in 2017. The kitchen knives became a part of the business in order to showcase the workmanship of the steel that they have spent decades perfecting.

These are entirely sole-authorship knives. The blades are fully made in-house from the forging to the heat treatment to the stock removal and finish. This authorship allows them to have the most possible control over the knifemaking process. There is no pre-clad barstock to be found in the workshop. He is doing the forge-welding of the stainless cladding himself. Their kitchen knives have a very hard heat treatment that promotes edge retention and the very thin cross-sectional geometry does the same for sharpness.

These knives have a handsome, rustic, kurouchi finish that contrasts nicely with the brushed wide bevels. They come in a beautiful presentation box that elevates the knife nicely.

Asano Kajiya is a swordmaking company based out of Hashima City, in Gifu Prefecture. Asano Taro is a nationally recognized swordmaker, a very prestigious honor in an industry that is very highly regulated. He started apprenticing in the practice of swordmaking in 1997 under Fujiwara Kanefusa, a 25th generation swordmaker. Asano-san is a very involved member in the community, giving talks all throughout Japan and internationally and devoting a lot of his time to research to the sword and steel making industry. The company started making kitchen knives in 2017. The kitchen knives became a part of the business in order to showcase the workmanship of the steel that they have spent decades perfecting.

These are entirely sole-authorship knives. The blades are fully made in-house from the forging to the heat treatment to the stock removal and finish. This authorship allows them to have the most possible control over the knifemaking process. There is no pre-clad barstock to be found in the workshop. He is doing the forge-welding of the stainless cladding himself. Their kitchen knives have a very hard heat treatment that promotes edge retention and the very thin cross-sectional geometry does the same for sharpness.

These knives have a handsome, rustic, kurouchi finish that contrasts nicely with the brushed wide bevels. They come in a beautiful presentation box that elevates the knife nicely.

These paper knives are made from hand forged damascus steel. The handles are lacquer-ware and also hand made by a lacquer-ware craftsman. The paper knives are single bevel knives (constructed for right handed users).

These are made with high carbon steel (white steel). Like all carbon steel tools/knives, they can rust if not cared for properly. Please make sure to wipe them clean and dry after use. If you're planning on storing them for an extended period of time, we recommend oiling them with Tsubaki (camellia) oil or mineral oil.

*These paper knives do not come with a sharp edge (though it is more than enough to open letters). Also, the etched damascus pattern will change when the knife is sharpened.

These paper knives are made from hand forged damascus steel. The handles are lacquer-ware and also hand made by a lacquer-ware craftsman. The paper knives are single bevel knives (constructed for right handed users).

These are made with high carbon steel (white steel). Like all carbon steel tools/knives, they can rust if not cared for properly. Please make sure to wipe them clean and dry after use. If you're planning on storing them for an extended period of time, we recommend oiling them with Tsubaki (camellia) oil or mineral oil.

*These paper knives do not come with a sharp edge (though it is more than enough to open letters). Also, the etched damascus pattern will change when the knife is sharpened.