***Please Note***
Attention US Citizens: Shipping has resumed. However, due to U.S. Section 232, all steel products—including knives and pruning shears—are now subject to a 50% customs duty. The rate has increased from 15% to 50%. A carrier commission (approx. $18+) also applies. These charges are the recipient's responsibility.
Attention Canadian citizens: We have resumed shipping!
Attention UK Citizens: We have resumed shipping, but it's not cheap. We cannot ship if the total amount excluding shipping is less than 135 pounds. A commission fee will be added in addition to customs duty.
Attention EU Citizens: We cannot ship if the total amount excluding shipping is less than 150 euros. A commission fee will be added in addition to your country's customs duty.
For all other countries: If your country charges VAT (Value Added Tax), a commission fee will be added in addition to that amount.
In case of cancellation, we will refund the amount we received from PayPal, which is the total amount you paid minus the PayPal fee at the time of receipt.
Izumimasa is the brand of Matsuo Hamono, a knife-making workshop based in Sakai. Founded in 1906, the workshop has been devoted exclusively to kitchen knives for over a century. Today, three masters — Yoshiaki Matsuo, Tsubasa Matsuo, and Kyohei Matsuo — lead the workshop alongside their craftsmen, producing knives that have earned the trust of professional chefs in Japan and around the world.
"Sharpness is a given." That is how the people at Matsuo Hamono speak about their own work. What they truly focus on is building an edge that lasts. Central to this is the removal of "mora" — microscopic irregularities left on the blade surface. A knife shipped with mora still present will develop an uneven edge with every sharpening. Because professional chefs are their primary customers, Matsuo Hamono inspects every single blade by eye and by hand, and removes mora completely before a knife leaves the workshop. A knife that keeps rewarding you the more you sharpen it is built on exactly this kind of work.
The lineup spans a wide range of steel and purpose: blue paper steel, white paper steel, and VG10 stainless, from professional hon-yaki knives to accessible home-use models. Among them, the Suminagashi (Damascus-style) knives — forged from 16 layers of folded steel — stand out for their combination of cutting performance and visual beauty. And in every home-use model, the same sharpening techniques and processes used in professional-grade knives are applied without compromise.
Tetsufuku has been delivering Izumimasa knives to customers around the world since we opened in 2012. When someone asks me which knife to choose, this is the brand I recommend without hesitation.