Kawamura Hamono

Kawamura Hamono is the very traditional type of the company you would find in Sakai, with a focus on tradition, strong connection with blacksmiths and high standards in quality control. Its name may not be very familiar to everyone, but under this company, there are three brands with quite some fame: Sakai Kikumori, Choyo and Kikuzuki. 

Established in 1926, Kawamura have been using Sakai Kikumori on their knives for most of the time. These blades are what you would expect from Sakai: traditional designs that get refined to the highest level. Often forged by highly renowned smiths like Yoshikazu Tanaka. These products include Migaki/Kasumi finished and Damascus single bevel blades as well as the double bevel knives that feature Sakai’s signature convex grind with smooth transition instead of a Shinogi line. The newer brand Kikuzuki would have more varieties, it currently has three lineup including the White 2 Kurouchi “Kuro”, White 2 Kasumi finished “Kasumi” and damascus cladded “Uzu”. Choyo clearly positioned itself higher as the representative brand of the company, has uniform design for their blades with clear Shinogi line, Kasumi finished bevel and mirror polished Hira. It appears that Kawamura is adapting to the upcoming trend and trying to establish itself as a company with a more well-curated lineup and clearly distinct brands, with their deep connection and extensive history operating in Sakai, they are executing this plan steadily and firmly.