The Couteau Basque Workshop

At the border between Anglet and Bayonne, alongside the small Atchinetche Canal and facing the Adour River, the Couteau Basque workshop is deeply rooted in the region’s artisanal history.

Located in the Jorlis craft district, this building already housed a metalworker’s forge in the 1930s. Even today, fire, metal, and the artisan’s hand continue their dialogue here, perpetuating the spirit of the place.

It is within this workshop, steeped in memory, that Christophe and Séverine shape each knife, respecting traditional gestures and the time required for work done right.

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A fully mastered artisanal process

In the workshop, every knife is born from a precise and demanding manual process. Christophe and Séverine create traditional Pyrenean and Basque knives, known as two-pin knives, using techniques inherited from historic cutlery traditions.

Handles are hand-shaped from carefully selected natural materials: horn and wood from the Basque Country, as well as, depending on the project, rarer materials such as snakewood or mammoth ivory. Each material is worked with respect for its unique properties, ensuring strength, balance, and aesthetics.

Blade work: the heart of the craft

Carbon steel and Damascus steel blades are hand-forged directly in the Jorlis workshop. Forging gives each blade its character, strength, and individuality.

Stainless steel blades, meanwhile, are prepared in Thiers—the historic capital of French cutlery—before being mounted and precisely adjusted in the workshop.

Each blade is then assembled, fine-tuned, and finished with care, ensuring a knife that is both functional, durable, and truly unique.

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Iconic knives of the Basque Country

Christophe and Séverine, both Artisan Craftsmen, create several emblematic models of Basque and Pyrenean cutlery:

The Shepherd’s Knife, whose blade contour is inspired by traditional sheep-shearing scissors
The Basque Knife, whose shape, documented as early as 1722, evokes the discoidal stela
The Makila Knife, reflecting the elegance and spirit of the traditional Basque walking stick
The Espelette Knife, whose origins date back to 1871

Each model is engraved with powerful symbols: the Basque cross (Lauburu) or ancient Basque emblems,
recalling the workshop’s deep attachment to its land and its history.

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Unique pieces, crafted with passion

Each knife made in the workshop is individually shaped, assembled, and adjusted. This artisanal approach gives every piece its own character, far from any standardization. More than a simple object, each knife is the result of a dialogue between material, gesture, and history, designed to accompany its owner for many years to come.