japanese knife makers

[dinodog]

It's my understanding that there are only three major knife makers in japan spyderco being one, is this true, and if so who are yhe others? also is the same true for german knife makers?

 

[Crayola]

Welcome to the forums dinodog!
As far as I know there is more than 3 major knife makers in Japan. Cold steel has knives made there, Jungilee has knives made there, um.... I know a few more do too! I just can't think of them right now!

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"Come What May..."

 

[WrongFriend]

Spyderco is kind of fabless knife maker, you can think it's an American knife factory.
There are Moki, G. Sakai, Hiro, IC cuts, Hattori, Kai (for razors), Olfa, and more. Not sure but Lakota is also a Japanese knife maker.
They are all major knife makers, but most of utility knives like kitchen knives and hatchets, are made by nameless but skilled local smiths.

Hope this helps.

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\(^o^)/ ...cheerful
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Mizutani Satoshi

 

[Sal Glesser]

Hi dinodog. Spyderco is actually an American company, as is Cold Steel, Al Mar, etc. Seki City, Japan has a fairly good size number of small (& larger) knife factories that do subcontract work for knife companies all over.

As mentioned by Wrongfriend, some of the noted makers in Seki;

G.Sakai
Moki
I. Hattori
Masahiro
Hiro
Taiyo Kogyo
Shibata
Fukuyama
Yamatoh
Tak Furuta
Ishikawa

Kai Cutlery is actuall a very large organization that owns several knife & scissor companies.

Hope that helps.