Yamakawa Kogetsu (Goko Hamono)

Yamakawa Kogetsu (Goko Hamono)

Goko Hamono is a small knife workshop in Kashiwa City, Chiba Prefecture, run by Norihiko Yamakawa (八間川憲彦) and Yoshito Yamakawa (八間川義人), a father and son team. Norihiko Yamakawa (the father) first founded Goko Hamono in 1990 as a wholesale cutlery business before transforming it into a knife workshop in 1995 with the help of blacksmith Moriei Seki (関守永). Yoshito Yamakawa (the son), then a high school student, shadowed his father and eventually became a blacksmith himself. "No lies" and "Dedication" are the philosophy of Goko Hamono. The father and son team wouldn't call themselves "masters," believing there's always room for improvement and that self-pride would hinder self-reflection. This ensures that Goko Hamono knives will only get better and better in the future. Only knives made by Yamakawa-san are engraved with the "Kogetsu Made" (光月作) logo.

Kashiwa City is located in the northwestern part of Chiba Prefecture, approximately 30 km from central Tokyo.
The area around Kashiwa Station, in the city center, where the JR and Tobu train lines connect, is bustling with commercial activities, and the area around the Tsukuba Express in the northern area is still undergoing advanced urban development. There's also a theory that "Kashiwa" is a corruption of "Kashiba," a place where cargo is unloaded from ships.

Goko Knives Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Goko Knife Manufacturing, designated as a traditional craftsman by Chiba Prefecture, continues to inherit centuries-old techniques and strives to cultivate artisans. Each piece is handcrafted and takes three months to complete. Knives and other cutlery are made of steel. There are various types of steel, such as white paper, yellow paper, blue paper, and silver paper. The "Shimosa Kunikozuki Gyuto" uses solid steel called "Shirogami," the same material used in high-quality knives. Shirogami is said to be difficult to work with because it lacks alloying elements, and it is said that the skill and dexterity of the smith determines the quality of the final product. At Goko Knives Manufacturing Co., Ltd., he worked as a master for Mr. Eishi Sekimori, one of the most skilled smiths during the prosperous period, and supervised production and provided technical guidance to Mr. Eishi Sekimori.

Sort by

Japaneseknives.eu

Pinterest
© 2012 - 2025 Japaneseknives.eu | sitemap | rss