The word Tamahagane means precious steel. Historically, the word Tamahagane has been known as a particular, very pure and high quality steel produced using traditional Japanese techniques. The Kataoka factory in Niigata Japan uses Tamahagane as its brand name, making exceptional knives that are unsurpassed in sharpness and edge retention. Tamahagane Knife Blocks come in brown and black wood colours and feature a large wooden block with magnets to hold the knives in place. There is a plastic screen to protect the blades. These blocks will fit 6 good sized knives, but can fit up to 8 depending on the sizes of the knives and how they are placed. Always wash your knives by hand, dry thoroughly and never put them in a dishwasher. All Tamahagane knives are covered by the manufacturers guarantee against faults and defects. Knives should be stored in a block or other protective case to protect the blades and always kept out of reach of children. Knives cannot be sold to any person under the age of 18. When you place an order with us, you are confirming that you are 18 or older. Sometimes we may ask for proof of identification.