A kitchen knife has a name (mei), or brand name. However, with the exception of a few knife makers, most well-known manufacturers do not own manufacturing plants. Especially in the Japanese knife industry, the division of labor has been divided for a long time, and there is almost no integrated production from forging to polishing. Most knife makers do not even put their name on their knives and are not involved in the manufacturing process at all.
Then, what is a knife maker? We use the brand name “Togiharu” for our original kitchen knives. These products are the result of my planning to meet the needs of our customers, and then I ask a reliable manufacturer to produce them.
Therefore, it can be said that I am only involved in the final stage of sharpening.
However, this process allows us to do a final check of the product. It is a very time-consuming process, but as a result, I believe it is the best way to gain the trust of our customers.
The world-famous German manufacturer for which I worked as an advisor still does not produce many professional kitchen knives that meet my expectations because of their lack of quality checks.
Or should I say, the manufacturing process is so mechanized that there is no room for correction between the hands of craftsmen.
The buyer trusts the mark on the knife. In other words, a mark is a guarantee.
We could say that a manufacturer is a guarantor. The brand name is not the only product that has become a monopoly due to mass production as a result of increasing popularity, but it is not the only product.
