Takamura Hamono (blacksmith) can be found in Takefu Village (Echizen) in Fukui Prefecture. It is run by 3rd generation blacksmith Terukazu Takamura who inherited the shop from his father Toshiyuki Takamura-san. Smithing since 1985, his blades are known for an extremely refined and long-lived edge. They’ve been gaining recognition worldwide by cooks and even ranked #1 in a consumer test report by Smartson in Sweden, beating out every “top of the line” European knife in the running. These are a favourite of Rene Redzepi, the famed chef of NOMA in Copenhagen and also Martha Stewart! It took us over a year to track down Takamura-san after seeing their knives displayed at Takefu train station. we are major fans.
