Anryu Hamono 安立刃物

Katsushige Anryu (安立 勝重) is the 4th generation knife artisan at Anryu Hamono (安立刃物), a small knife making workshop in Echizen started by his great grandfather Hansaburo Anryu in 1873. Katsushige-san joined the family business in 1959 at a very young age. Under the guidance of his father Katsutoshi Anryu, he mastered traditional knife forging and became a certified traditional knife artisan. Highly respected for his works and his integrity, Katsushige-san was elected the chairman of the Takefu Knife Village Co-op, an association of Echizen's best knife makers. He was recognized in 2015 for the medal of honorable work of traditional crafts. Today Katsushige-san works with 5th generation Takumi Ikeda, a nephew of his.