Shiro Kamo

Shiro Kamo (加茂詞朗), Kamotou Hamono, Echizen

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Shiro Kamo, the second generation blade smith of the Kamotou Hamono, is an expert of forging. He only keep feel designs but they are tuned to near perfect. Kamo san's knife is known for the broad profile and extreme thin bevel, paired with high hardness SG2 and Blue Super steel, his blades cut well, especially on hard and dense vegetables.

It is worth mentioning Kamo san do forge stainless and carbon steel alike, while the SG2 is much hard to deform under forging temperature, he seems to be able to command steel into his desired shape with little effort. His understanding and experience in forging and sharpening lead to incredibly well polished designs, which excels in handling, lightness and cutting smoothness.

Shiro Kamo, the second generation blade smith of the Kamotou Hamono, is an expert of forging extremely high performance blades. He is a member of the TAKEFU Knife Village.

The most known work done by Shiro Kamo is his SG2 Suminagashi series. As one of the few blacksmith in this industry that does hand forging of powder stainless steel, his knife is the thinnest I've ever seen. As stainless steel tend to be much harder to shape at forging temperature, it just says how impressive of a skill that Kamo san possess being about to keep his knife so thin but straight at the same time.

The matching sharpening is also very aggressive, his SG2 has a small convexity but due to the low overall thickness and broad knife profile,the edges are still very thin. The Kurouchi Blue super has a concave grind which goes through tough food with little effort with its extreme thinness. However, these thin blade are still pretty rigid, thanks to the forged taper that thickens the tang. The combination of these features just shows how much understanding that Kamo san has to blade, and he do have the skill to achieve these details with his hammer like it takes no effort.

We found that Shiro Kamo has only few designs that he forge, and that is somewhat remarkable to me. When we are constantly seeking the shiny new things that just come out, we can always count on Kamo san when we need a knife with solid performance. His dedication and focus have lead to a near perfection of what he do, and anyone who picked up his knife and tried will feel the result of years of tuning over one design. If you want a authentically forged knife from Japan, I will definitely check out master Kamo's knives.

“An Echizen smith and certified traditional craftsman, forging kitchen knives at Kamotou Hamono.”

Est. 1955 | 昭和30年

Known for Forged kitchen knives and soba-cutting knives

Instagram @shiro_kamo

People

Current Head: Shiro Kamo 加茂詞朗

Craft

Known For: Forged kitchen knives and soba-cutting knives
Steel: Aogami Super, R2/SG2

Location

Address: 22-91 Yokawacho, Echizen, Fukui 915-0031, Japan
Region: Echizen, Japan
Coordinates: 35.887937, 136.2365708

Brand

Logo

Native Name

加茂藤刃物

Why Shiro Kamo Matters

Shiro Kamo heads Kamotou Hamono (加茂藤刃物), a workshop founded in 1955, and took up knife-making to carry on his father's work. Takefu Knife Village lists him as a certified traditional craftsman (伝統工芸士), and in 2010 he was vice-chairman of the Takefu Knife Village cooperative.

Does Shiro Kamo Allow Unsolicited Visits?

Kamo's workshop is inside Takefu Knife Village, which is open to the public.

Knives by Shiro Kamo

Shiro Kamo Blue Super Kurouchi (Seilan)

The Shiro Kamo Blue Super(Aogami Super) might be a familiar item for our long term supporters. Back in 2018, we worked with Kamo-san to have a series of blad... Read more

The Shiro Kamo Blue Super(Aogami Super) might be a familiar item for our long term supporters. Back in 2018, we worked with Kamo-san to have a series of blade with the line name Seilan(青嵐, blue storm)and our own brand name Shinko stamped on them. As these being sold out, we haven't acquired more of it, but I think everyone who purchased one of these blade would be fairly impressed by its extreme thinness and outstanding cutting feel. What we called Seilan is now stamped with Kamo-san's own brand name "Kamotou", but the great performance is something that hasn't changed by a single bit. The majority of the blade are still very thin from the edge to the spine, yet thanks to the forging process, the thickened neck near the handle has kept this blade rigid. When cutting with this knife it is very responsive, it will follow the exact trajectory that you want it to create as most food cannot stop or flex its thin edge, including dense ones like sweet potato. I would say the price is fairly good for a knife that is masterfully crafted, but one downside that we cannot ignore is the cladding on these knives. This blue super line features a iron cladding, and from the experience we had with Seilan, this is a particular reactive cladding(more reactive than the Blue Super core). It would need a good care and maintenance to stay beautiful, but having this soft iron jacket means it will be quite easy when comes to sharpening, polishing and thinning. Read less

Pros

Thin behind the edge
Excellent performance
Great OOTB

Cons

Prone to rust
A little bit brittle

Sanmai - Soft Iron Clad Kurouchi

Shiro Kamo Suminagashi SG2 Damascus

Shiro Kamo's Suminagashi SG2 Damascus is one of those lines where the appearance is elegant, but the cutting performance is still very much the main even... Read more

Shiro Kamo's Suminagashi SG2 Damascus is one of those lines where the appearance is elegant, but the cutting performance is still very much the main event. The polished Damascus has a clean and refined character, with the flowing Suminagashi layers appearing naturally across the blade as the light moves over the polished surface. It suits Kamo-san's knives particularly well because underneath the decoration is an extremely thin, purposeful blade. At the core is SG2 / R2 powder stainless steel, hardened to around 62–64 HRC and clad in stainless Damascus. SG2 gives the line excellent edge retention and corrosion resistance, but what impresses me more is how Shiro Kamo handles the material. Powder stainless steel is considerably harder to forge than traditional carbon steel, yet he manages to keep these blades remarkably thin and straight. The grind is very much on the laser side. The blade is kept thin through the body and especially thin behind the edge, with just a small amount of convexity to keep the cutting feel smooth. Dense ingredients such as carrots, potatoes and onions offer very little resistance, and the knife tends to fall through food rather than force its way through. This is the kind of geometry that makes the performance immediately noticeable from the first cut. Another defining feature of this line is the profile. Compared with many conventional Japanese knives of the same category, the Suminagashi series tends to run larger and noticeably taller, giving the blade more presence on the cutting board and generous knuckle clearance. The extra height is particularly useful for vegetable preparation and gives plenty of blade surface for moving chopped ingredients around the board. Despite the larger profile, the laser-like grind keeps the knife feeling light and agile rather than bulky. The polished Damascus is also an important part of the character of this particular line. Rather than creating strong black-and-silver contrast through etching, the Suminagashi pattern is presented in a brighter and more natural way. The layers remain clearly visible without overpowering the shape of the blade, giving the knife a more restrained and refined appearance than Kamo-san's darker Kurokumo series. There is, however, a trade-off to this level of thinness. These are not knives for twisting through food, chopping bones, frozen ingredients or making contact with anything hard. The very fine edge and laser geometry reward controlled cutting technique, but they also need more care than a thicker all-purpose knife. Used properly, though, that delicate geometry is exactly what gives the Suminagashi line its effortless cutting feel. The line brings together many of the things Shiro Kamo does particularly well: hand-forged powder steel, an extremely thin laser grind, a larger and taller blade profile, and a light yet rigid construction. If cutting performance is the priority but you also enjoy a more substantial profile and polished Damascus finish, this is one of the more distinctive combinations in his range. Read less

Pros

Thin behind the edge
Great OOTB

Cons

A little bit brittle

Sanmai - Stainless Damascus Clad Migaki

Shiro Kamo Kurokumo SG2 Damascus

Shiro Kamo's SG2 Kurokumo Black Damascus line uses SG2 powdered steel from Takefu Special Steel, a hard steel with long-lasting edge retention that takes... Read more

Shiro Kamo's SG2 Kurokumo Black Damascus line uses SG2 powdered steel from Takefu Special Steel, a hard steel with long-lasting edge retention that takes a keen edge for precise cutting. It slices cleanly through vegetables and proteins. The blade carries a black damascus pattern. The octagonal ebony handle gives a comfortable grip and good balance, and it is durable as well as good to look at. Read less

Pros

Excellent performance
Great artistic

Cons

Relatively hard to sharpen

Sanmai - Stainless Damascus Clad Etched

Frequently Asked Questions about Shiro Kamo

Who is Shiro Kamo?

Shiro Kamo is a Japanese knife maker based in Echizen, Japan, established in 1955. They are known for Forged kitchen knives and soba-cutting knives. Their signature steels include Aogami Super, R2/SG2. Available at Knives and Stones Australia.

What knives does Shiro Kamo make?

Shiro Kamo produces the following knife lines: Shiro Kamo Blue Super Kurouchi (Seilan), Shiro Kamo Suminagashi SG2 Damascus, Shiro Kamo Kurokumo SG2 Damascus. We currently carry 12 products from Shiro Kamo at Knives and Stones. They specialise in Forged kitchen knives and soba-cutting knives.

Where is Shiro Kamo located?

Shiro Kamo is located in Echizen, Japan. Japanese knife-making regions each have distinct traditions. Echizen and Takefu in Fukui Prefecture are celebrated for high-quality double bevel forging.

Where can I buy Shiro Kamo knives in Australia?

Knives and Stones is an authorised Australian stockist of Shiro Kamo. You can shop online at knivesandstones.com.au, with free shipping for knives over AU$200 Australia wide, or visit our stores in St Peters (Sydney), Crows Nest (Sydney), Braddon (Canberra) and Prahran (Melbourne) to handle the knives before buying.

Is Shiro Kamo a certified traditional craftsman?

Yes. The Takefu Knife Village page for the workshop ㈲加茂藤刃物 lists Shiro Kamo as a 伝統工芸士, a certified traditional craftsman.

That page dates the workshop to 1955 and lists forged kitchen knives and soba-cutting knives among its work.

Sale

Shiro Kamo Suminagashi SG2 Damascus

Shiro Kamo

People

Craft

Location

Brand

Why Shiro Kamo Matters

Does Shiro Kamo Allow Unsolicited Visits?

Knives by Shiro Kamo

Shiro Kamo Blue Super Kurouchi (Seilan)

Shiro Kamo Suminagashi SG2 Damascus

Shiro Kamo Kurokumo SG2 Damascus

Shop Shiro Kamo Knives

Shiro Kamo Suminagashi SG2 Damascus Gyuto 240mm, Stabilized Curly Maple Handle

Visit Us In Person

St Peters

Crows Nest

Canberra

Prahran

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