Tosa Uchihamono are blades made mainly in Tosayamada-cho, Kami City, Kochi Prefecture, and across the eastern and central parts of the prefecture, including Nankoku City, Tosa City, Ino Town and Susaki City. Besides kitchen knives, the area has produced many tools for use in forests and fields, such as sickles, hatchets (nata), axes and hoes. Its greatest feature is the method known as 'free forging' (jiyu tanzo). Without using molds, craftspeople hammer red-hot steel and iron to draw them out, shaping each blade one by one to suit its use and the order. This allows them to meet orders for small quantities of many different products, and the blades are known not only for their sharpness but also for their durability and ease of maintenance. The Chosokabe Chikencho (Chosokabe land survey register) of 1590 (Tensho 18) records 399 blacksmiths, and the craft is said to have a history of more than 400 years. In 1998 (Heisei 10) it became a Traditional Craft Designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Visitors can browse blades at 協同組合土佐刃物流通センター (Tosa Hamono Distribution Center) in Kami City, and there are also workshops in Susaki City and Shimanto City where you can try blacksmithing.
Origin
Bladesmithing in Tosa is said to date back to 1306 (Tokuji 1) in the late Kamakura period, when the school of the swordsmith Gorozaemon Yoshimitsu, who had moved from Yamato Province (Nara Prefecture), was active there. In the Sengoku period, the smiths supplied arms and swords. In 1590, after Chosokabe Motochika unified Tosa, 399 blacksmiths were recorded in the Chosokabe Chikencho.
History
In 1621 (Genna 7), the Genna Reforms of the Tosa domain promoted the development of new rice fields and the use of forest resources. Demand for forged blades for farming and forestry grew, and both production volume and quality improved greatly. This is regarded as the beginning of the full-scale development of Tosa Uchihamono. In the early Showa era, the belt hammer was developed, and production increased greatly. On May 6, 1998, it became a Traditional Craft Designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. In Kami City, a school called 'Kajiya Soseijuku' (鍛冶屋創生塾) is also run to train blacksmiths.
Features
Because the blades are made by free forging without fixed molds, craftspeople can forge a wide variety of blades as long as they have an order form showing the actual dimensions and shape. For the same reason, a high level of skill on the part of the blacksmith is essential. Having developed from tools for forestry and farming, the blades have been valued not only for their keen sharpness but also for their durability and ease of resharpening. The main products are kitchen knives, sickles, hatchets, axes and hoes.
Techniques
Free Forging
A method in which steel and iron heated to high temperatures are carefully hammered with a belt hammer and hand hammers, drawn out and spread, and freely shaped. Because it does not rely on die-cutting, each blade can be made to suit its use and the user's preferences. Being able to meet orders for small quantities of many different products is also unique to this method.
Forge Welding (Tansetsu) and Quenching
The steel for the cutting edge is inserted into a slit cut in the base iron, heated in the hearth (hodo) with boric acid as a bonding agent, and hammered into a single piece. After shaping, the blade is coated with clay, heated to 770–800°C and quenched in water. It is then tempered at about 170°C to give it toughness.
Materials Used
Production Process
- 1
Cutting Charcoal and Forge Welding
The charcoal used in the hearth is split into suitable sizes. The steel for the cutting edge is prepared and inserted into a slit cut in the base iron. With boric acid as a bonding agent, it is heated in the hearth and hammered to join the steel and iron into one piece.
- 2
Forging and Rough Grinding
The heated material is hammered with a belt hammer and hand hammers and drawn out into the shape of a blade without using molds. Once the shape is formed, it is rough-ground with a grinder to refine the outline.
- 3
Clay Coating, Quenching and Tempering
The blade is coated with clay so that it hardens evenly. It is heated to 770–800°C and then quenched in water to harden it, and tempered at about 170°C to give it toughness. Judging these temperatures determines the performance of the blade.
- 4
Straightening and Sharpening
Distortions caused by quenching are removed by hammering. Finally, the blade is ground on whetstones to put on an edge and is finished. 迫田刃物 (Sakoda Hamono) in Susaki City is said to put its blades through more than 10 processes after forging and to finish them on natural whetstones.
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Artisans & Workshops
迫田刃物
A forge founded in Susaki City in 1973. 迫田春義, a 'Tosa no Takumi' (Master Craftsman of Tosa) and Certified Traditional Craftsman, forges the blades, and his son 迫田剛 handles the sharpening. Every blade is handmade one by one, from forging the steel and base metal to quenching and finishing by hand sharpening. The forge also accepts resharpening of its own products.
Official site →How to Buy
- 協同組合土佐刃物流通センター (Tosa Hamono Distribution Center)
- A sales outlet at 香美市土佐山田町上改田109 (Tosayamada-cho, Kami City), where you can pick up and choose kitchen knives, all-purpose knives for outdoor activities and gardening, and more. Opening hours are introduced as 8:30 to 17:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 16:00 on weekends and public holidays. It is about 4 minutes by car from Nankoku IC.Where to buy →PR
- 迫田刃物の包丁 (Sakoda Hamono knives, mail order)
- Deba knives and kaiwari knives (for opening shellfish) by 迫田刃物 are introduced in the mail-order service of the magazine Serai (サライ) from 16,500 yen including tax. They are also offered as return gifts for furusato nozei (hometown tax donations) to Susaki City. Prices may change.Where to buy →PR
Hands-on Experiences
迫田刃物（土佐打刃物 鍛冶体験）
高知県須崎市
An experience is introduced in which you forge a blade under a craftsperson's guidance, also learn traditional hand sharpening, and take home the blade you made. It takes about six hours, excluding a one-hour lunch break. Fees and availability should be confirmed in advance.
View details →工房くろがね
高知県四万十市西土佐口屋内天王山944
There is a one-day blacksmithing experience (9:00 to 16:00) in which you hammer and forge red-hot tamahagane (traditional Japanese steel) to make a kitchen knife inscribed with a signature (mei). The fee is introduced as 44,000 yen per person (48,000 yen from March 2027). Reservations and advance payment are required.
View details →FAQ
Q. What does 'free forging' mean?
A. It refers to a method in which, rather than punching out shapes with a die, craftspeople hammer heated steel and iron to form the shape freely. Since a blade can be made as long as the order form shows the actual dimensions and shape, blades suited to their use and user can be made even in small quantities. For the same reason, the blacksmith's skilled technique is indispensable.
Q. Why did blades for farming and forestry develop in Tosa?
A. Because Kochi Prefecture is heavily forested, and in the Edo period the Tosa domain put effort into developing new rice fields and using forest resources through the Genna Reforms. Demand for sickles, hatchets, axes, hoes and other tools grew, and quality and production improved. Because of these origins, durability is valued in addition to sharpness.