Knife Industry
Edge tools (particularly knives and scissors) made in Tanegashima are famous traditional handicrafts in Japan. Craftsmen in Tanegashima have kept alive traditional techniques for forging and sharpening iron tools. Tanegashima is also famous as the center of sand iron production. The technique has been around since about 1185 when the Taira clan were exiled here from their native Kyoto by Minamoto no Yoritomo, taking with them craftsmen and chefs from Kyoto. The people of the island speak with a Kyoto accent even now, rather than a Kyūshū or Kagoshima accent, despite its proximity to Kyūshū. These craftsmen were the original users of the distinct techniques used for forging and sharpening. The technique is unique in the world, and produces such tools as "Tanegashima Hocho" (Tanegashima knives), used by many chefs in Kyoto and Kansai, and "Tane-basami" (Tanegashima scissors), preferred by many for the art of Bonsai.
Since 1543, when firearms were introduced, ironworking craftsmen on Tanegashima expanded their original techniques to include the creation of high quality firearms.
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—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
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