ABOUT TAMAHAGANETamahagane knives are manufactured by Kataoka and Company in Niigata, Japan. The word tamahagane means precious steel. Historically, the word tamahagane has been known as a particular, very pure and high-quality steel produced using traditional Japanese techniques. Today, Kataoka uses Tamahagane as the brand name for the exceptional knives it makes from similar quality steels produced using modern techniques. With their unsurpassed sharpness and edge retention, these knives are definitely precious steel.