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Izumimasa

Izumimasa (源泉正) is the signature brand of Matsuo Hamono, an esteemed culinary atelier based in Sakai. Founded in 1906, the workshop has been devoted exclusively to crafting professional kitchen knives for over a century. Today, three master artisans—Yoshiaki Matsuo, Tsubasa Matsuo, and Kyohei Matsuo—lead the forge, producing exceptional blades that command the absolute trust of professional chefs both in Japan and globally.

"Sharpness is assumed." At Matsuo Hamono, exquisite sharpness is merely the starting point. Their true mastery lies in achieving enduring edge retention, a feat centered on the complete eradication of "mora"—microscopic structural irregularities on the blade surface. If a blade retains even a trace of mora, its edge will warp and degrade with subsequent sharpenings. Catering to a clientele of discerning professional chefs, Matsuo Hamono inspects every single blade by eye and by hand, eliminating mora entirely before it leaves the forge. A blade that rewards the hand more profoundly with each sharpening is born from this exact rigor.

The collection spans an elite selection of steels engineered for specific culinary arts: Blue Paper Steel, White Paper Steel, and VG10 stainless, ranging from master-grade hon-yaki to accessible yet uncompromising models for the home. Among them, the Suminagashi (Damascus) series—forged from 16 layers of folded steel—stands as a pinnacle of cutting performance and visual poetry. Notably, the identical sharpening techniques and meticulous processes used for professional knives are applied to their home-use models without a single compromise.

Since 2012, Tetsufuku has carefully curated and delivered Izumimasa knives to enthusiasts and professionals worldwide. When asked to recommend a definitive, lifelong Japanese knife, this is the atelier chosen without hesitation.

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