Iisakki Jarvenpaa Knives

  Iisakki Järvenpää is the oldest and most famous of the knife manufacturers in Finland. It was founded in 1879 by Iisakki Järvenpää, knife maker by appointment to the Russian emperor.

     The ancient Finns treated iron and all sharp-edged tools made from it, with a magical respect; not least a knife which possessed strong magical powers. Thus the farmer would start his spring sowing by sticking his knife into a standing position at the end of his field to ensure a good harvest that year. If your child was troubled with nightmares they could be driven away by sticking your knife in the wall above the door, and similarly or adults a good night's sleep would be guaranteed by a knife stuck in the wall above the bed.

     Even in establishing a family the puukko (Scandinavian Knife) could be a part of the ceremony. Thus in some parts of the country the girls would have an empty sheath on their belts waiting for the knife of the suitor. Similarly a groom had to show his handiness by carving some household articles of wood with his knife.

     With the arrival of more oppressive times, the knife became the Finnish soldier's last but most effective weapon when it came to a close fight - the last hope for his life. Even if arms were otherwise in short supply, every man would be carrying a knife on his own initiative.

Issakki Jarvenpaa Knives
'Handmade in Finland since 1879'