Yamagata's Cutlery dates all the way back to the Naboku-cho period and is connected to when Shiba Kaneyori brought a large number of black smiths with him to Yamagata. While  this was when these blacksmiths moved to Yamagata it wouldn't be until the Edo period for when Yamagata would become known for it's blacksmiths. In the Edo Period Mogami Yoshiaki (Statue in the photo) would go on to create a blacksmithing centered town in Yamagata. The fact this town was based around blacksmithing allowed for it to develop it's own style of cutlery and would be allowed to produce the highest quality possible of their craft.

Yamagata cutlery is known for it's quality and sharpness. Primarily blades are made as sickles, scissors and a number of gardening tools. These blades are made by hand and sharpened by the smith as well. Once these blades are finished they have the name of the smith engraved into the blade as a mark of quality. Yamagata cutlery is made using a fusion of soft iron and steel, these 2 metals are formed into an alloy together during the forging process, this combination of metals allows for the blades to be both durable and very sharp. During the forging process the blades are hammered in a very specific way in order to maximize the quality and longevity of the blades.