A 90-year-old establishment that has passed down blade-sharpening techniques
The commercial area of Kappabashi Street runs for 800m from north to south between Asakusa and Ueno and had its origins from around 1912 when merchants started selling secondhand goods there. Today, Kappabashi has around 170 stores associated with cuisine including cookware, tableware and kitchen equipment. Kamata Hakensha was founded in Tokyo’s Asakusa district in 1923 and has passed down its blade-sharpening techniques to a 4th generation over the past 90 years.
800 products ranging from original kitchen knives to select products from the owner
Usually stocked with more than 800 products including those specially selected by the owner, Kamata Hakensha deals in kitchen knives and every kind of cutlery including Western and Japanese knives ranging from handmade gems created by craftsmen using traditional techniques from ancient Japan to contemporary items under rigorous control. The store has a lineup which includes products at a reasonable price of 10,000 yen to high-class items, with the popular wares being store-original kitchen knives with a fine edge and a great reputation including those with lovely floral patterns of cherry blossoms and maple leaves on the surface and ornamental knives with steel lamination. For the knife that you purchase, you can get it engraved by hand for free so that it can become a present for someone. And if you buy a store-original item, you can also have it sharpened right in the store.
Classes to learn sharpening techniques
In addition to sales of knives, sharpening of the knives is also done at Kamata Hakensha where knives that have lost their edge or have been nicked over long years of usage can be made as good as new again thanks to sharpening techniques that have been brought down by generations of knife-sharpening craftsmen. Periodically, there are even classes offered in knife sharpening which are so popular that even professional chefs have participated in them. There are basic and advanced classes from which participants will earn a certificate of completion from the All Japan Cutlery Sharpening Inspection Institute. The homepage is provided in Japanese, English and French.