私が重房の菜切り包丁を買ったのはこの店です。
吉沢利工
次の２つの理由から、この店をここで紹介する価値があると思います。
１．この店は重房の包丁をとても手ごろな値段で売っている。
２．この店は老舗の道具屋で、東京都渋谷区の道玄坂で明治時代から（100年以上？）この商売をしている。
追記： この店は明治43年(西暦1910年）創業なので、今年で創業９９周年です。
住所： 東京都渋谷区道玄坂2-6-12
（JR渋谷駅から歩いて５分）
営業時間： 平日 8:00～19:00
日曜/祭日： 9:00～18:00
定休日： 第１第３日曜日
注： 私はこの店とは関係はありません。ただ、以前、工務店を営んでいた父がこの店の顧客の一人だったので、小さい時からこの店を知っています。この店が重房の包丁を扱っていると知ったのはつい最近のことです。それまでは、大工道具専門の店だと思っていました。
注意： この店に照会メールを送らないで下さい。英語で書かれた照会メールは受け付けていません。質問があれば、私のブログのこのエントリにコメントとして投稿して下さい。この店に照会メールを送っても、店ではそれを無視するか、または私のメールアドレスに転送します（そうするよう、頼んでおきました）。
（日本語では、商品リストを省略しました）。
**************************************************
The shop from which I bought the Shigefusa nakiri bocho was this one:
Yoshizawa Riko
I think that this shop deserves a mention here for the two reasons below.
1. This shop offers Shigefusa knives at very affordable prices.
2. This shop is a well-established tool shop, having been in this business since the Meiji period (for at least 100 years?) at Dogenzaka, Shibuya in Tokyo.
Edited to add: This shop was founded in the 43th year of Meiji (1910) and, therefore, has been in this business for 99 years this year.
Address: 2-6-12 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
(5-minute walk from JR Shibuya Station)
Business hours: 8:00 to 19:00 on weekdays
9:00 to 18:00 on Sundays and national holidays
Regular closing days: First and third Sundays
NOTE: I have no affiliation with this shop. It's only that I have known this shop since a child because my father, who used to run a small construction company (called a koumuten in Japanese), was a customer of this shop. It's only recently that I have learned that this shop deals in Shigefusa knives; I had assumed that this shop specialized in carpenter tools.
CAUTION: DO NOT SEND AN INQUIRY DIRECTLY TO THIS SHOP. The shop does not accept inquiries written in English. If you have an inquiry, post it as a comment to this entry of my blog. If you send them an inquiry, they will either ignore it or forward it to my email address, as I have asked them to.
Click here for a list of Shigefusa knives that this shop offers.
Photo 1:
Kitaeji yanagi-ba bocho
1 shaku (blade length: approx. 290 mm) 68,600 yen
Out of stock
1 shaku 1 sun (blade length: approx. 320 mm) 69,800 yen
Wooden sheath and paulownia box attached.
Photo 2:
Kitaeji nakiri bocho
5 sun 5 bu (165 mm) 34,800 yen
Wooden sheath and paulownia box NOT attached.
Photo 3:
Nakiri bocho
5 sun 5 bu (blade length: approx. 160 mm) 13,200 yen
Blade material: Equivalent to Yasuki Hagane Shirogame No. 2
Base metal: Shigogami very soft steel
Wooden sheath and paulownia box NOT attached.
Photo 4:
Kasumi deba bocho
5 sun 5 bu (blade length: 150 mm) out of stock
6 sun (blade length: 165 mm) out of stock
6 sun 5 bu (blade length: 180 mm) out of stock
Swedish steel used. Kasumi finish.
Wooden sheath and paulownia box NOT attached.
Photo 5:
Kitaeji aji-kiri bocho
120 mm 29,300 yen
Wooden sheath and paulownia box NOT attached.
Photo 6:
Kitaeji Japanese-style petty knife
180 mm 31,100 yen
Wooden sheath and paulownia box NOT attached.
Photo 7:
Kitaeji kiridashi 8 bu, out of stock
Paulownia box attached.
MADE-TO-ORDER ITEMS
Photo 8:
Kitaeji gyuto
180 mm
approx. 85,000 yen
210 mm
approx. 87,500 yen
240 mm
approx. 90,000 yen
* Shown in the photo is a 180-mm one.
Time to delivery: 3-4 months
Wooden sheath and paulownia box NOT attached.
Photo 9:
Kitaeji gyuto
270 mm
approx. 100,000 yen
Time to delivery: 3-4 months
Wooden sheath and paulownia box NOT attached.
Photo 10:
Kitaeji usuba bocho
6 sun 5 bu (blade length: 180 mm)
58,200 yen
63,400 yen (with sheath)
7 sun (blade length: 195 mm)
59,800 yen
65,000 yen (with sheath)
Shown in the photo is a 8-sun one.
Time to delivery: 3-4 months
Photo 11: Kitaeji deba bocho
Shown in the photo is a 7-sun deba.
For price information, contact us.
Time to delivery: 3-4 months
Photo 12: Kama-gata (sickle-type) nakiri bocho
5 sun
approx. 15,000 yen
Time to delivery: 3-4 months
Wooden sheath and paulownia box NOT attached.
Thank you for sharing this information! I will keep this info tucked away, in case I return to Japan anytime soon.
ReplyDeletepink: Be one of the proud owners of a Shigefusa knife or knives! You won't regret it!
ReplyDeleteHiro,
ReplyDeleteNice sentimental post, being that your father had dealings with the same hardware store. Imagine, in the year 2009, we can still get a legendary artisan knife made one at a time by a sweaty old man working over a fire. I am thinking about getting the 165mm shigefusa santokugata kasumi (not suminigashi, since I actually want to use and not have to worry about ruining the finish!).
Towkay: Yes, it was like going back to my childhood when I came across the website of that shop. You live in New York, and want a Shigefusa knife? How cool! Do post about your knife in your blog when you get it!
ReplyDeleteHiro:
ReplyDeleteIt's extremely difficult for us to get shigefusa knives outside of Japan. Basically a few expats have their family or contacts ship directly from Japan when a knife becomes available for a modest markup. I know of only 2-3 reputable people and small companies doing this on the internet, world-wide. It is a worthwhile cause, if you are already answering inquiries for the hardward store, it might be something to think about.
David
Hiro,
ReplyDeleteNeed your help, there is a knife on yoshizawa's page, 3rd down from the top, the japanese petit knife with 180 mm blade in kitaeji finish. It is basically the perfect knife for me, i have been unable to find anyone else who carries that, and would be deeply appreciative if you could check when they would have it in stock again.
Towkay: Email sent. Waiting for a reply. I was interested in that knife, too, but I thought it would be a little too long for a petty knife. I asked them if they had had any requests for shorter ones, say 135 mm and 150 mm.
ReplyDeleteHiro,
ReplyDeleteFound a 135mm and 150mm for over 40,000 yen here in the United States (but it is probably in the plain kasumi finish),
http://www.japanesecutlery.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=206_195
Also, I found some info online, in kanji, that you may be interested in:
時房飯塚
重房刃物
〒955-0852 新潟県三条市南四日町2丁目11-9
TEL: +81-(0)256-32-0279 | FAX: +81-(0)256-32-0270
Towkay: I got a reply from Yoshizawa Riko. The Japanese petty knife will be made around October 10.
ReplyDeleteThey also said that you can order a petty knife of any size, but the price will be about the same as that of the 180-mm one.
I'm getting serious about order a petty knife with a shorter blade!
Hiro:
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking for me. It sounds like that the petty knife damascus finish blanks are made in 180mm, and then resized to order, which is why the price is the same. By the way, someone told me that a plain polished petty will probably much more inexpensive (probably around 15k yen or less; similar to your nakiri usuba). I don't know if this is true but I have read that the kitaeji finish on the small knives are not as detailed because there is less space to work with.
By the way, I did check your blog very regularly to see if you replied. If you don't mind, my email is f00lan0@gmail.com (please replace the all number 0s with the letters o ). Please let me know if you have further thoughts or updates from yoshizawa's. thank you,
OK, I will let you know any future updates by email. Thanks for all the information, including Shigefusa's address and phone number, although I don't think they will accept orders from individuals.
ReplyDeleteIn general, a kitaeji knife is twice as expensive as a kasumi one, so I guess a kasumi petty knife, if it ever exists, should cost 15,000 yen or so.
Hiro,
ReplyDeleteBeing from new york, I am 100% ignorant as to the proper japanese etiquette in terms of whether it is ok to contact shigefusa hamono directly. But, I must confess, I am secretly fantasizing that you will call them and maybe the 2 sons will be very nice and invite you to visit their shop. And then you can post pictures on this blog for the rest of us.
Just so you know, from what I have heard, since they are a family business, virtually EVERY kitaeji is considered to be a special order by shigefusa so they seem likely to take small orders. You'll never know if you don't call. But then again, there is the remote possibility that they will blacklist you for calling/disturbing them and you will never see another shigefusa knife ever again! (just kidding).
Towkay: I've been thinking about going to Sanjo city, where Shigefusa Hamono is located, for months now. If I do, I'll post lots of photos here. I don't know if I can meet them, though.
ReplyDeleteHiro:
ReplyDeleteYou probably already know this, so I apologize in advance if you do. But in Sanjo City, there is another master blacksmith by the name of Iwao Watanabe. He specializes in honyaki knives, which as you know as different from Shigefusa's kasumi/san-mai technique as you can be. Basically, a religious or philosophical difference. The honyaki blade is constructed entirely of one layer of high carbon steel, as opposed to a laminate process.
Personally, I don't feel ready for such a blade, since I need to find a professional knife sharpener I can trust who can reliably sharpen such blades first.
But from what I gather, Watanabe-san is extremely affable, answering all his emails himself, and forging custom blades for very reasonable prices. He will almost certainly reply to you personally, and may even allow you to visit should you be interested to do so in Sanjo.
His website is http://www.watanabeblade.com/.
Towakay: Thanks for additional information. I know of Watanabe, but I'd never thought of visiting him until you mentioned him. Hmm..., I think I have to make a plan carefully so I can meet both Shigefusa and Watanabe...
ReplyDeleteDear Hiro San, I am trying to find Shigefusa chef knives on the site of the carpenter's shop you recommended, but cannot see. Can you please help? I am looking to buy the full set of Damascus knives as well the paring/kitchen knife (4-5 inches). I don't mind waiting if not in stock, and can easily fly to Tokyo (or other in Japan) to collect as I am close by in Hong Kong.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate if you can help contact the shop to see if they have stock or can help with this order.
please stay in touch by my email
kayakkingoz2000 @ yahoo . com . au
thanks
Alan
Could you please send me a list/price on what thay have in stock now. only (kitaeji)
ReplyDeleteMange-g@hotmail.com
Kind Regards
Magnus
Hi,
ReplyDeletei´ll be staying in tokyo in 3 weeks and thinking about going to this shop. Does the owner unsderstand some englisch?
best regards,
Sebastian
Sebastian: Sorry, as I implied in this post, the owner, Yoshizawa-san, doesn't speak English. But, in one of his emails to me, he said that the number of foreign customers was increasing, so I hope he or the staff understand some English.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much!
ReplyDeleteI´m already excited ;)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteYubun: Thanks for your comment. I have sent you an email, and I'll delete your comment.
ReplyDeleteDear Hiroyuki,
ReplyDeleteI have just found your great blog and was delighted to come across this post.
I am really keen on one of the knives on Yoshizawa Riko's website, however my lack of Japanese writing skills means that I am unable to communicate with them.
I know this is an old thread being revived but I thought I should ask if you would be willing to kindly help me with enquiring about the knife.
Many thanks,
Khashy.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Hiroyuki,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your super prompt reply. Email is on it's way.
Deleted my comment above to avoid spam.
ReplyDeleteI was just going to say 😊
ReplyDelete