The second you pick up a HADO knife, you can tell they’re in a league of their own. It feels like handling a lightsaber and cuts just as easily. The Junpaku, or ‘pure white’ in English (referencing white carbon steel), is forged by Yoshikazu Tanaka-san, one of the best blacksmiths in Sakai. He takes more time and care than some makers, working slowly at lower temperatures. The result is a super consistent blade that holds an edge incredibly well. In a stroke of knife-making genius, the core steel has been clad in a layer of protective stainless steel.

Did you know the jobs of a sharpener and blacksmith are equally crucial to a knife’s performance? The sharpener uses their mastery of steel grinding and polishing to turn a raw piece of forged steel into a precision tool capable of slicing and dicing thousands of vegetables. Maruyama-san of HADO is one such master sharpener. Maruyama-san always has the end user in mind, shaping blades so they get incredibly sharp, keep their edge as long as possible, and are truly impressive to cut with.