Established in 1872, Akitada Minamoto has dedicated itself to preserving traditional techniques in crafting high-quality cutlery. Akitada Minamoto (源 昭忠) is the brand name of the knives, while Mizuno Tanrenjo (水野鍛錬所) is the 150-year-old family-run workshop in Sakai, Osaka where these exceptional blades are forged. Their knives have earned widespread acclaim for their clean, smooth cutting performance.

Operating on a small scale, Akitada Minamoto maintains a dedicated team of knife makers who hand-forge each blade to meet the highest standards of performance kitchen knives. The workshop is known for producing honyaki knives with the "Ta" marking, signifying their prestigious status in Japanese knife making. A distinctive characteristic of their knives is the unmistakable scent of pine charcoal that greets users when opening a new knife box—this signature serves as a reminder of the workshop's heritage and traditional crafting methods that have been preserved for generations.