Mr. Kouitchi Tsurumaki
Munetoshi
Mr. Kouitchi Tsurumaki is the man behind the Munetoshi forge. Kouitchi-san is a third-generation blacksmith, born in 1949. Initially, he only made tools for agriculture, such as scythes and axes. However, as agriculture modernized and demand dropped, he began to turn his attention more towards kitchen knives.
The knives are forged very traditionally, and Kouitchi does everything by hand himself.
His background in tool forging is particularly evident in the knives' raw appearance but incredible performance. The knives are sharpened to a slightly convex grind, which provides incredibly fine cutting properties!
The Air Hammer
The spring hammer is used to shape and forge the steel. Munetoshi forges his knives from Shirogami steel, which translates to white paper steel. The steel is always delivered in white paper, while Aogami is delivered in blue paper to differentiate the two.
Tsurumaki San
Preparing the grindstone for rough grinding the newly forged knife material.
Once the forging is complete, the steel is cut so that each blade has approximately the same dimensions. The blade is then ground and polished before the handle is attached.
Munetoshi Knives
