About us

Our mission as a manufacturer of carving knives

Michihamono is a carving-knife manufacturer with a long history, located in Miki City, Hyogo Prefecture, known as the home of blade-making in Japan. Each day, we strive to create knives that meet our customers' needs and actively engage in a wide range of efforts to expand our user base.

 

Artisanal blade-making, with attention paid to every last detail

Each and every one of our carving knives is produced by hand by professional craftsmen at our company plant. We aim to provide our customers with handmade knives that have a human touch, and to create blades that are perfectly tailored to their needs. In particular, as we produce each individual knife, we pay the utmost care to sharpness, which is what gives a blade its life but is frequently neglected by other manufacturers. The joy and exhilaration each user feels when they first cut into wood with one of our carving knives is our greatest joy.

 

Consistent quality control and reliable after-service

Our dedicated quality control staff closely inspect each item before shipment to ensure that every single product we make arrives in our customers' hands with the same trusted level of quality. Furthermore, we manufacture our carving knives with layered steel blades that are 85 mm from tip to base so that they can be sharpened again and again when they begin losing their edge. If you find it difficult to sharpen the blades yourself, we provide sharpening after-service to ensure you can enjoyably use our blades for as long as possible. Because we produce all our blades entirely in-house, without the involvement of any subcontractors, we are able to provide excellent after-service.

 

Educational workshops

We actively host workshops to increase the population of carvers engaged in such crafts as wood carving and woodblock carving. We host numerous workshops that are only possible thanks to our extensive network cultivated over many years of exchange. In addition to spreading the joys of wood carving to as many people as possible, another important purpose of our workshops is to listen to the opinions of our customers directly.

 

Product concept and background

  • Historical background (why Miki City prospered as metal-working locale) In ancient times, Korean blacksmithing skills were combined with the traditional blacksmithing techniques of Japan's Banshu region, resulting in major technological advances. After the Siege of Miki in the late 16th century, the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi implemented various measures for the reconstruction of the damaged city. These measures resulted in the revitalization of commerce and industry, and created the foundation for the local metalworking industry that is still thriving today.
  • Originally, our company manufactured sickles for rice harvesting on consignment, but to adapt to the changing times, we transformed ourselves into a manufacturer of carving knives.