History and Craft Ethos in the “City of Blades” Sakai, Osaka – from Ironmaking to Knife Sharpening

A Story of Artisans and Steel in “City of Blades,” Sakai

Sakai City in southern Osaka Prefecture has flourished as a major industrial center for centuries, notably producing such goods as incense, firearms, and wazarashi traditionally bleached textiles. Today it is most known as the “City of Blades,” counted alongside Echizen and Seki as one of Japan’s big three cities of high grade kitchen cutlery production. This is a history that stretches back to the construction of the tomb of the Emperor Nintoku, the largest and one of the most famous ancient monumental keyhole-shaped kofun tombs in Japan, and a Sakai tourist draw in its own right. The stoneworking necessary to construct this tomb required high-quality iron tools in mass quantities, which fostered the growth of a large-scale advanced blacksmithing industry in the city and later evolved to advanced steelworking for such products as kitchen knives. In the wartorn 14th and 15th Centuries, this steelworking base plus Sakai’s then-major port put the city at the cutting edge of reverse engineering imported European firearms, and further developing and manufacturing domestically-produced versions.

Townscapes of traditional architecture live on in Sakai

As such, steel and advanced techniques for working it have been the lifeblood of Sakai artisans for generations. What’s more, that tradition remains alive and well to this day, with a system that foregoes the use of machines and instead relies on a division of labor among highly skilled artisans performing each stage by hand. This is a major source of local pride. It’s also what gives these knives the excellent sharpness and gorgeous sheen that makes chefs the world over prize them as among the best of the best.

Hand-sharpened Sakai knives, long loved by many a chef

Trace the grain of history told in steel through this unique, Wabunka-original plan that allows you to experience both the richness of Sakai craft culture and the industry behind some of the world’s best-loved kitchen tools. Visit iconic Sakai steelworking history venues like the Old Gunsmith Workshop and Residence, and the Traditional Crafts Museum, and finally try hand-sharpening a knife on a whetstone the traditional way for yourself at the longstanding Wada Shoten knifemaker. Experience the spirit of artisanal steelworking, and learn why in Sakai, the old ways still reign supreme.

A Guide with Deep Knowledge of Sakai and its Craft Cutlery Culture

The guide for this experience is Tomomi Matsunaga, the head of Sakai Experience Japan and a tireless promoter of the charms of Sakai City to visitors from all over. Matsunaga plans and manages a wide repertoire of cultural experience programs based in Sakai to showcase the city’s many fascinating traditions and allow people to experience them firsthand. This particular plan is only possible thanks to her strong ties with the artisans of Sakai, and her passion for preserving their craft traditions.

Through her work, Matsunaga has built connections between international guests and traditional Japanese culture in a wide variety of ways, from private experiences to large scale events, including guided tours and knife experiences like this one, as well as cultural festivals celebrating international cultural exchange in historic venues. She is particularly knowledgeable about Sakai cutlery, and can talk at length about not only its techniques and history, but also the craft philosophy and spirituality behind it, that live in each blade. This is a depth and breadth of knowledge that goes far beyond the usual tour.

A Private Tour of Sakai’s Traditional Craft Industry Museums, Illuminated by Matsunaga

The experience kicks off at the Old Gunsmith Workshop and Residence, a historic structure in which Sakai gunsmiths once lived and worked. Learn all about the roots of Japanese steelworking and the history of the Sakai firearms industry through Matsunaga’s commentary.

*In the case that Matsunaga herself is unavailable, a guide with equivalent knowledge and passion for Sakai’s culture and crafts may substitute for her.

Advanced division of labor and specialization, along with exacting standards and precision techniques, allowed Sakai craftsmen to mass produce high quality firearms

A life-size reproduction of the manufacturing process of the Sengoku-period matchlock guns which Sakai is famous for producing is housed within the workshop-residence, complete with tools used by the actual artisans. The exhibits offer an immersive firsthand look at one of the craft traditions that grew here out of the city’s deep ironworking traditions, which not only nurtured Sakai but changed the course of national history.

A tour of the sites where Sakai’s firearm industry blossomed

The next step is the Sakai Traditional Crafts Museum, a cultural venue that both exhibits and sells traditional Sakai craft products. Tucked away on its second floor is the “CUT” Sakai Cutlery Museum, which offers a survey look at the history and culture of knifemaking in Japan. The museum’s exhibits feature a wide variety of Sakai cutlery products, as well as a look at their history and manufacturing techniques.

The history of Sakai cutlery, told through masterworks of cutlery beautifully displayed as art

Enjoy an even deeper look at the history and culture of these crafts through Matsunaga’s commentary, as well as the process and appeal of knife making. “I could honestly go on and on forever about Sakai and its knifemaking traditions,” says Matsunaga – so there’s no need to hold back on any questions that come to mind.

Discover the Sharpening Techniques and Craft Spirit of Wada Shoten, a Sakai Knifemaking Paragon

As one might expect, “Sakai knives” abound among the cutlery produced in the city. This is a broad umbrella term for knives made from various materials, including stainless steel. These may be selected and sold by Sakai wholesalers but are not always manufactured within Sakai itself. This plan, however, focuses on a more exclusive subset of that category: the “Sakai uchi-hamono,” or “Sakai-forged blades.” These are distinctive knives shaped through the process of hammering soft jigane steel and hard hagane steel together, produced entirely within Sakai through the highly skilled blacksmithing and sharpening techniques of traditional artisans. In the second half of the experience, you’ll learn the sharpening and finishing steps specifically at Wada Shoten, a longstanding local fixture that works with Sakai-forged knives.

Start by donning a traditional samue work outfit and apron bearing the “Sukematsu” house name

Wada Shoten is a renowned Sakai shop that sells Sakai-made cutlery to buyers not only across Japan, but around the world as well. Operating under the house name “Sukematsu” during the Samurai-ruled Edo period (1603–1868), it played a central role in Sakai’s distributed division of knifemaking labor, in which a blacksmith forges the steel, a sharpener forms and whets the cutting edge, and a finisher-wholesaler finishes the knife and fits it with a handle. It is only after this multi-stage journey that a knife is complete. Wada Shoten preserves this traditional handicraft while delivering products that remain indispensable to the lives of their users, and often regarded as a “port of departure” for Sakai cutlery traditions that make their way out into the broader nation and world.

Using newspaper to check the knife before and after sharpening

Before sharpening your knife at Wada Shoten, test your unsharpened knife by cutting newspaper to get a sense of the blade’s current condition. After that, with the guidance of a professional sharpener, use a whetstone to sharpen the blade. When you have finished the sharpening process, test the blade again on the same newspaper to experience the power of proper sharpening to bring even a fully dulled blade back to life.

Learning blade sharpening from a master artisan

Learning directly from a master artisan gives you skills to take home with you and put to use maintaining your precious new blade for decades to come. In an era where disposability is the default in our possessions, this is a chance to rediscover durability and maintenance for lifelong use through the craft spirit of Japan.

A Custom Sakai Knife in a Personalized Wooden Box – The Special Tool of a Lifetime　

After sharpening your blade, it’s time to move on to the finishing process. Watch as a knife finishing master sets the blade in its handle, branded with the old Edo Period “Sukematsu” crest of the shop. Handle attachment is done by heating the knife tang until it is red hot and inserting it into the handle. This is a process that is as precise as it is dramatic, heating the air around the blade and releasing billows of smoke, and you can enjoy it for yourself with the peace of mind that comes from having a master artisan there to make sure it is done properly and correcting any issues that arise. While the smoke clears, the artisan strikes the base of the handle with a wooden mallet to seat the tang in place within, finishing the knife.

Threading the heated core into the handle

Take home your finished knife in a special wooden box, optionally branded on its lid with your name in a design by Osaka-based calligraphy artist Daisuke Mishima in your choice of alphabet, katakana, hiragana, or Japanese kanji. When selecting this option, please indicate your choice of alphabet, katakana, hiragana, or Japanese kanji at the time of reservation.

The hot-brand finishing is performed right before your eyes

Mishima is an artist known for giving each of his works a high degree of individuality through his custom calligraphy and designs. He has created numerous custom pieces for well-known athletes, musicians, actors, and other entertainers across Japan and beyond. He has also been an integral part of projects such as a kimono design presented at the 2023 Milan Collection. His unique aesthetic sense and masterful techniques make for singularly wonderful gifts and keepsakes.

A branded calligraphy design by Mishima

Proper maintenance will maintain a Sakai knife’s exceptional sharpness for decades. And this special branded wooden box not only adds a special touch of style to your day-to-day – it honors this potentially lifetime tool as the unique piece of craftsmanship that it is.

A Journey Deep into Sakai’s Craft Tradition

When the experience is over, take home a souvenir Sakai hand towel of traditional chusen stencil-dyed cloth. Chusen is a dyeing technique with deep roots in Osaka regional history, characterized by vibrant colors and a unique bleed. Use it daily, display it as interior decor, or give it to someone special as a gift. No matter where it goes, it’s sure to add a touch of unique Sakai craftsmanship to the day-to-day.

Sakai – City of Blades and City of Steel – is a place where genuine artisanal craft tradition lives on. Learning the history and spirit underpinning this industry and its history is apt to reveal new insights on the cultural essence of Japanese precision manufacturing – and leave behind lifelong memories of a brush with ancient wisdom and pride whose sheer undeniable quality has allowed it to thrive well into the present day.