Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, is known for its mass production of cutlery, but few craftsmen specialize in forging. Here Kei Kobayashi, with his unique background as an independent sharpener, stepped away from traditional mass production in order to build his own brand.

Kobayashi's knives boast unparalleled precision in their polishing techniques. The uniform sharpening process, which differs from Ironclad, is characterized by the extremely beautiful lines of the blade. In addition, the quality of the blade finish remains close to Takamura's with no chips at all.