ABOUT KITANO
	Mr Kitano has been a maker of high-quality handmade knives for over 20 years. He has achieved the highest recognition among handmade knife makers in Japan. HISTORY: While on loan to Britain as an electrical engineer 30 years ago, Mr.Kitano developed an interest in western fine arts. He began a career in the assessment and repair of a fine-arts and handicraft. At that time he got interested in traditional edged tools, and began his work with them. MR.KITANO'S EDGED TOOL THEORY: 1: The most important thing is making a tool that cuts well. 2: The most suitable materials for the task must be used. Looking for the best materials, he developed special steel products in collaboration with Hitachi Metals Co.,Ltd. (HARDNESS and TOUGHNESS is critical) 3: With THE MIRROR SURFACE the blade is spared from the nicks which plague common knives. If the edge of a typical blade is seen under a microscope, it resembles the teeth of a saw due to its surface roughness. This causes nicks with even normal usage. 4: The special edge Mr.Kitano developed consists of a novel concept--a flat side and a convex side. This guarantees both cutting integrity and sharpness.	MR. KITANO