Well i have been very busy these last few weeks so i have alot to blog about!
I should have kept up with all this mobile technology i carry around with me, but alas its still takes energy
Lets start with my knife tour to Japan sponsored by
Kikuichi Company .
Over 700 years of solid and reputable history of cutlery making distinguish Kikuichi from all other cutlery companies in the world. Although Kikuichi has been producing superior cutlery for more than a hundred fifty years, the origins of the company spans back some seven hundred years ago. For the most of the company’s history, Kikuichi manufactured fine Samurai swords that bore the emperor’s Chrysanthemum symbol as a mark of their excellence. Today, Kikuichi’s ancestor’s swords are considered national treasures in Japan.
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| The Master of the Forge |
I have to give it to Kikuichi for promoting a fascinating tour!
They went all out to provide us with
so many interesting aspects of the japanese knife market and culture.
The knife making alone was worth the trip 6760 miles.
As you can see in the photos it was a hands on experience. Every vendor built a japanese style knife from scratch,a piece of iron!
We started at the forge to melt and pound out a japanese piece of iron.
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| My pounded piece of Japanese steel. |
It took us 2 days to create a knife.
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| The pounding machine |
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| Hiro Hirano showing edge grind |
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| Toasted with clay |
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| Sharp as a razor! This guy is the top grinder in Japan |
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| me grinding away! too much as it turned out. |
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| The final assembly |
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| The final product before engraving. |
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| Quality Control at the Kikuichi Store in Nara Japan |
You can see more pictures and movies
