Household Cutleries (Ono)

Japan's oldest knife production area: Ono: The area developed in the Banshu region, centred around Ono City, due to its position tothe Tottori Sand Dunes where first-class iron sand (the raw material for Japanese swords) was sourced, Miki City where iron was also collected near Tanjosan, along with having an abundance of wood for firewood, and many swordsmiths. During the Edo period, the manufacture of knives for the home spread as a side job for farmers and as a cottage industry, and the "Banshu sickle" was so sharp that it was called a "razor sickle."