Nokaji Hamono are hand-crafted blades produced in Wakayama Prefecture, Shingu City, which is located at the mouth of the Kumano River. The city was a trading hub for lumber resources being transported by boats along the river, resulting in the development of the Kumano lumber industry. Along with the concentration of forestry workers, blacksmiths also gathered here to supply these workers with the metal forestry tools they needed, such as axes, hatchets and scythes.