Swords and kitchen knives still forged by hand at the forge in Omuta, Fukuoka.
In 1939, a national contest pitted the country's finest blades against one another. In the final, Shiro Kunimitsu defeated the famed sword Kotetsu, then praised as the sharpest in all of Japan, and earned the title of the sharpest blade in the nation. That same year, his work was chosen as one of three swords presented to the Emperor.
The roots reach back about 900 years, to a real swordsmith named Mike Tenta who lived in Omuta, Fukuoka. His blades were so keen that even the warlord Hideyoshi is said to have prized them, and his swords survive today as national treasures. Shiro Kunimitsu holds Mike Tenta's craft as its ideal, carried on by the Komiya family, descendants of the official swordsmiths of the Yanagawa domain in the Edo period.
"Cutting power second to none." That standard applies not only to swords, but to every kitchen knife as well, with no compromise. Nothing is mass produced. Each blade is still forged by hand, one at a time, by one of only a few master smiths left in the entire country.
▲ Shiro Kunimitsu, holder of the title for the sharpest Japanese sword. See the swordmaking that even Toyotomi Hideyoshi admired.
Oni-Giri Blade is planning a Japan experience tour to visit the Shiro Kunimitsu forge. A dedicated guide who speaks both English and Japanese will travel with you. Before we lock in the dates, we want to understand who is interested and what matters most to you. Your answers will directly shape how we design the tour.
All visits and experiences are by reservation only. Oni-Giri Blade handles all bookings and guide arrangements for overseas guests.