Minosuke Matsuzawa, the founder of the Masamoto Sohonten Company started making Japanese knives in 1866. It was his dream that his family would come to be remembered as knife craftsmen throughout the generations. Now, five generations later, Matsuzawa's vision has been realized and professionally crafted Masamoto knives have become widely regarded as the finest knives made for professional use. More detail about Masamoto Sohonten.