Musashi Hamono is a new Japanese Cutlery brand and they mainly focus on selling knives on their website: Mushashihamono.com as I was not aware of the Musashi Cutlery brand I had a few questions for Musashi which they have answered. You can read the small Q&A with Allen from the Musashi Team below.
Musashi provided me a review sample which I have fully tested, you can read the review here, or visit my Youtube Channel for the review video.
Musashi Hamono’s Goal
I like the direction and the vision of Mushashi Hamano. In the included letter for my review sample you have added the following:
”As there is fewer and fewer knife craftmanship who can make amazing knives in Japan, we want to revitalize the Japanese chef knife industry. That is one of the biggest reasons we start E-commerce. We want to help more and more people experience the charm of Japanese knives. ”
Musashi Team
I like the vision of Musashi by supporting Japanese craftsmanship. It seems like the Musashi brand came out of nowhere therefore I would like to ask the following questions.
Did Mushashi have a physical store based in Japan before they started E-commerce?
No. Before, we were mainly doing B2B. But after the COVID-19 is over, we will open physical stores.
Musashi Hamono
Are some of the knives made by a well-known Japanese knife manufacturer or blacksmith but then rebranded to Musashi?
Yes.
Musashi Hamono
If they are made by some well-known blacksmiths or manufacturers is it possible to name a few or is this a secret?
In October, we will release some information about craftsmen, including those who made HAP40. After the COVID-19 in Japan slows down, we will conduct field interviews (will continue to increase in the future).
But we will not deliberately disclose some famous craftsmen or manufacturers. We want customers to pay attention to the brand of Musashi and the knife itself and hope that they can recognize our vision instead of making knives good because the craftsmen or manufacturers are famous.
Because famous craftsmen or manufacturers alone cannot slow down the decline of the Japanese kitchen knife industry. We are more inclined to develop craftsmen who are capable but have not yet been well-known overseas.
In the future, we plan to donate part of the sales to support some young craftsmen who are still practicing (it is estimated to be possible next year).
Musashi Hamono
Are you planning to categorize the knives per prefecture?
You can find the corresponding category on our online menu >MATERIAL>ORIGIN
Knives in other regions will be added in the future.
We plan to add knives in the following prefectures:
Fukui→Niigata→Kyoto
Musashi Hamono
Do you plan to add more information like the Rockwell hardness, Spine thickness, Weight, etc?
Relevant information is now being added. It should be possible to complete the weight and Spine thickness of all knives before the end of October.
Musashi Hamono
Do you plan to add more specialized Japanese knives?
We already have some, but not many types. (Special knives)
Musashi Hamono
Usuba Kanto Style
”Unfortunately, the Kanto Styled Usuba which looks like a single bevel Nakiri is not popular and the Kansai Style is taking over which is a shame”
ChefPanko
Usuba(Kanto) Blue Steel #2 Polished Buffalo Magnolia Handle 180mm
Musashi Hamono
Usuba Kansai Style
”Single bevel Santoku but with a straight profile like the Kanto Style Usuba but then with a tip at the front”
ChefPanko
Kama Usuba (Kansai) Blue steel #2 Polished Buffalo Magnolia Handle 180mm
Musashi Hamono
Ryodeba
”Would love to see a Ryodeba a double ground Deba”
ChefPanko
Musashi Hamono
Hamokiri
”Not popular in the west since it is a specialized eel knife”
ChefPanko
We know the craftsmen who can make it. But because the quantity is scarce and too expensive, it has not been launched yet.
Musashi Hamono
Sushikiri
”This knife is dying out”
ChefPanko
Sushikiri White steel #2 Polished Buffalo Magnolia Handle 240mm
Musashi Hamono
We have most of what you said and will increase in the future.
That’s it for this small Q&A and thank you Allen from Mushashi Hamono for answering my questions. I hope that this small Q&A answered some of the questions about Musashi Hamono as a new Japanese Cutlery brand.
Musashi Hamono
Website:
Mushashihamono.com
Address:
武蔵刃物/MUSASHI
〒110-0003 Tokyo Taitoku Negishi 3-1-1
If you have any other questions feel free to ask them in the comment section below or contact Musashi Hamono for more information.
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Is musashi hamono a Japanese company run by Japanese or Chinese? Are the knives really crafted in Japan by Japanese blacksmiths?
In the beginning, it was hard for me to verify as their website was in the beginning stage with some stock photos. But after talking to their team, I got a general idea and the direction they went for.
They are based in Japan and all knives will be directly sent from their location in Japan, Tokyo.
The knives they offer are all rebranded to their own brand but they are made by various craftsmen and companies in Japan from various prefectures.
However, they said that they were able to finish all information on the website in October 2021 in the Q&A section, but it took them a bit longer than that to finally add the relevant information. It is in 2022 that they finally managed to pretty much finish what they planned and told me in the Q&A section. (which is understandable since it was during the Covid period with strict rules in Japan that were eased in 2022).
Some of the names you may have heard of are Masutani, Satoshi Nakagawa, Sakai Takayuki, and many more. Besides those known names in the west, they also use various craftsmen around Japan. Many of the craftsmen were trained in Sakai, Osaka (but moved to another region in Japan offering their own knives under their own company name). This is something unique and not many western webshops offer them.
So you may see a familiar knife sold under a different company name or under a blacksmith’s name but all their knives are rebranded with their own name. (if you see a knife like one from Sakai Takayuki and look at Musashi Hamono and see that they are identical but just the logo on the blade is adjusted then you can be sure it is made by Sakai Takayuki).
Keep in mind that import tax is on the customer’s behalf, and that should be pre-calculated before purchase. That also includes that you need to calculate the shipment cost back if there is anything wrong too. (but that is something that should be discussed with Musashi Hamono Customer Service).
So in short yes, they are 100% a Japanese-based company, and the knives are all made in Japan under various companies within Japan or Blacksmiths/Craftsman. As to who the owner is I have no idea as I have only spoken with a few of their team to verify if they are a legit webshop.
As they have separate teams for shipment, marketing, sales, etc.
Before they started the Musashi brand they were a B2B company and that is one of the select few reasons why they have access to various blacksmiths and Japanese knife-making companies that is still unknown to the west but well-known in Japan.
Hope that this clarifies your concerns.
Feel free to ask me more but if the question is out of my knowledge or scope you may want to ask Musashi Hamono directly through their contact form.