Osaka, since the 1500s
Sakai
A suburb south of Osaka, where the knife workshops sit between the houses. No town in Japan makes more single-bevel knives, and most are forged in carbon steel, preferably Aogami 1 and Shirogami 2.
Port town
From tobacco knife to chef's knife
When Portuguese tobacco came to Japan in the 1500s, it had to be cut, and tobacco knives from Sakai were officially recognised for their sharpness.
The workshops are often under the house or in the back yard, and many have passed from father to son. The smith Yoshikazu Tanaka works with his son Yoshihisa, who is the fifth generation.
Where
Sakai, Osaka
About 20 minutes by train south of Namba station.
How the work is shared in Sakai
Smith, sharpener and wholesaler
In Sakai each craftsman does his step and passes the knife on. That gives a specialist at every step. It also makes it unclear who forged and who sharpened.
The smith
Forges the blade and hardens it. The forges work mostly on commission from the wholesalers and sell little themselves.
The sharpener
Takes the blade from the forge, sharpens the face and the edge and delivers it to the wholesaler. The sharpener Shotaro Nomura does it alone, in a small workshop under a house.
The wholesaler
The wholesaler, tonya in Japanese, orders the knives, fits the handles and engraves. Sakai Takayuki is one of them.
The length
A knife from Sakai is measured from where the handle begins, in other towns from the heel. The same length on the label therefore means a slightly shorter blade from Sakai.
Photo: Aoki Hamono
From Sakai in the shop
The brands from here
Sakai Takayuki
Wholesaler, Sakai
Made at Aoki Hamono, with smiths such as Doi Itsuo and Togashi Kenji.
See the knivesHADO
Sakai
Started in 2019. Six craftspeople sharpen, polish and fit handles themselves.
See the knivesOUL
Sakai
Under the same roof as HADO. Gets blades from smiths, and sharpens, polishes and fits handles themselves.
See the knivesSatoshi Nakagawa
Smith, Sakai
Apprenticed at Shiraki Hamono for 16 years and took over the machines when his master retired. Forges honyaki and Damascus.
See the knivesTsunehisa
Sakai, Seki and Tosa
Gathers knives from three knife towns, in the steel each town uses.
See the knivesSakai Norimasa
Sakai
With us they supply the yanagiba, the long knife for sushi and sashimi.
See the knives
Photo: Aoki Hamono
In stock
Knives from Sakai
