Kataoka Co. Ltd

Location: Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture.
Foundation: April, 1958

Established in 1958 and entering the 3rd generation in the Kataoka lineage, Kataoka Manufacturing focuses on the everyday use of the professional chef knife as well as the household kitchen knife. Because of the growing interest in their Japanese knives, the premium brand “Tamahagane” was introduced. Tamahagane is forged in accordance to the wishes of the customers and follows Kataoka’s creed to pursue functionality, lasting durability and precision.

The knives are heated in a kiln to 1000 degrees Celsius to increase the strength of the knives. Differing between the types of knives, Tamahagane comes in different strength with variety of hammered layers (up to 63 layers!) and various handles. All the knives are stainless steel, are easy to maintain and have a substantial lifetime. While the knives are sharpened to perfection by craftsmen, the knives only intermittently have to be sharpened using a knife sharpener which is also produced for Kataoka Ltd.

Among some of the most popular knives are the “Tsubame” chef knives, specially designed for the use in Western cuisine. While many Japanese chef knives are created for their use in Japanese cuisine, such as working with raw fish (deboning and preparing sushi and sashimi), many chef knife users outside of Japan want to have the quality of these knives but use it for different techniques more common in their respective cuisines.

If you are interested, let us know through our mail, contact form or meet us at one of the events in the future! For the event information please check our event schedule!