February 21, 2025
Interesting facts
Knife maker Hideo Kitaoka at work
The knife maker Hideo Kitaoka in Takefu, Fukui Prefecture, specializes in the production of high-quality kitchen knives. For the cutting edge, only the so-called "White Paper Steel," a carbon steel with high hardness and comparatively low brittleness, is used. The outer layers consist of several layers of Damascus steel, known in Japan as "Suminagashi." The hardness of the knives is over 60 HRC.
The blacksmithing tradition in Takefu is documented to be over 700 years old, thus having a great tradition. The basis was the occurrence of iron ore in Mount Chino and iron sand in the Chino River near Takefu. The iron sand is still mined in small quantities today.
Near Takefu, the lost capital of the former province of Echizen is believed to be located. Recently, on October 1, 2005, the two cities of Takefu and Imadate merged to form the city of "Echizen," thereby reviving the historic name.
See some pictures from his workshop on this page.
The blacksmithing tradition in Takefu is documented to be over 700 years old, thus having a great tradition. The basis was the occurrence of iron ore in Mount Chino and iron sand in the Chino River near Takefu. The iron sand is still mined in small quantities today.
Near Takefu, the lost capital of the former province of Echizen is believed to be located. Recently, on October 1, 2005, the two cities of Takefu and Imadate merged to form the city of "Echizen," thereby reviving the historic name.
See some pictures from his workshop on this page.
Delivery with 2 replacement needles. To change the needle, open the screw cap at the end of the housing (top left in the image). Make sure that the knurled screw is set to "FREE". Pull apart the two-part needle holder, remove the needle (bottom left in the image), and replace it with one of the two needles from the depot (bottom right in the image). Then reinsert the needle holder and screw it back on. The needle tip must be threaded into the needle guide on the cap. Replacement needles are not available individually.
The steel during heating in the forge.
Forging the "Hagane" (the middle cutting layer of a knife) with the spring hammer.
The spring hammer is also used to cut off the piece of Hagane needed for a knife.
Complete separation with the hammer.
The Hagane is placed on the previously prepared base iron. In between lies a layer of borax powder (with additional ingredients that are not disclosed).
After reheating in the forge, it is hand-forged together.
