Shigemitsu Hamono Kurouchi Santoku 160mm

With the sea on one side and Mt. Unzen on the other, Shigemitsu Hamono has kept Shimabara’s blacksmithing spirit alive for more than a century. The forge is led by third-generation Hiroyuki Inoue, 59, who began right after high school, and his son Yuuki, 26, who followed the same path.

Their work is practical and honest: everyday kitchen knives shaped for real use. Santoku for meat and vegetables. Deba for fish, with the weight and geometry to handle mackerel or horse mackerel while still being handy for general prep. The family lost its original workshop to a mudslide during Unzen’s eruption, then rebuilt it themselves. That resilience sits inside every blade they make.

Hiroyuki learned under his father by watching, not by lecture. He still measures himself against that standard and says he is trying to catch up. Yuuki is eight to nine years into the craft and gets more step-by-step coaching from his grandfather.

They both point to the long road: three years to grasp sharpening, about ten to learn forging, fifteen years at least before you feel confident. Progress is daily, not sudden. The goal is a knife that customers call easy to use and a cut that simply feels right.

Work begins by reading colour, not instruments. Orange to yellow signals about 800°C, which is the working window. Too hot and steel can melt. The tang is drawn, then the body is stretched and shaped. Hiroyuki uses shinogi-uchi, striking in a controlled pattern so the blade takes form as it grows. Hit the edge, then the ridge. Never the soft middle.

Done well, the forged blank is already close to final size, which reduces cutting later and keeps the geometry true. Hand forging also leaves subtle undulations that help food release without added holes or grooves. They often work in batches of 100 to 200. It is not about making things cheap. It is about keeping flow and consistency.

After forging comes annealing. Heat, then cool slowly. Hardening uses warm water. Too cold and the steel does not take properly. Red clay is painted along the edge to prevent an insulating air layer during the quench.

Pine is the preferred fuel for its strong flame. The family once made charcoal themselves and plans to repair the charcoal forge. Well water is used to avoid chlorine, which can provoke rust. Grinding follows with careful heat control. Stop while the steel is red with a black tint, not yellow.

Straighten, then move to sharpening. Rough grind first, then final sharpening with Amakusa stone around the 1000 range, clean the burr, buff, and wipe dry. Safety is constant. Bits can fly from wheels, so eyes are protected and splinters are removed with care.

“People say, make more. We try. A knife is never finished. There is always something to improve. I learned by watching my father and I still aim to reach him.

When a customer tells us it cuts well or feels easy to use, that is enough to keep going. We rebuild when we must and we work every day to make the next one better.”

— Hiroyuki and Yuuki Inoue