VILLAGE Report vol.27 Osaka Prefecture | Sakai forged blades: the sharpness of single-bevel knives within chefs’ reach

The fourth installment in our Kinki series takes us to Osaka Prefecture. Osaka is home to several nationally designated Traditional Craft Products, including Osaka ranma transom panels, Osaka Senshu paulownia chests, and Osaka karaki woodwork. This time, we visit Sakai Uchihamono—Sakai forged cutlery—made in Sakai City in the southern part of the prefecture. The cover photo was taken previously at the Sakai Hamono Traditional Crafts Museum (Sakai HAMONO Museum) in Sakai City. Banners proclaiming it a city of blades line the eaves of the white-walled building.

Tobacco knives and the “Sakai Kiwame” mark

According to Sakai City, Sakai forged cutlery began in the 16th century with tobacco knives used to cut tobacco leaves introduced from Portugal. Osaka Prefecture also explains that tobacco-knife production began in Sakai during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, with deba knives and kitchen knives also being made by the early Edo period.

Sakai’s tobacco knives gained a reputation for their sharpness, and the Edo shogunate permitted them to be sold bearing the “Sakai Kiwame” mark. According to materials from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, they were sold nationwide as monopoly goods whose quality was recognized by the shogunate. In this way, the skills of craftspeople in Sakai—a port town that had prospered through overseas trade since the Middle Ages—spread to kitchens throughout Japan. On March 5, 1982 (Showa 57), Sakai forged cutlery was designated a nationally recognized Traditional Craft Product by the Minister of International Trade and Industry (now the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry), and “Sakai Uchihamono” and “Sakai Hamono” are also registered as regional collective trademarks.

A division of labor among forging, sharpening, and handle fitting

A defining feature of Sakai forged cutlery is its division of labor, with specialist craftspeople responsible for each process. First, forging craftspeople hammer and stretch red-hot soft iron and steel together to bond them, shaping blades that are both strong and resilient. Next, sharpening craftspeople use whetstones of varying coarseness through more than 10 stages to create a keen edge. Finally, handle-fitting craftspeople correct any warping in the knife and fit the handle while checking the balance of its center of gravity. According to Sakai City, acquiring these skills takes more than 10–15 years.

Many sashimi knives, deba knives, and usuba knives used by Japanese chefs are single-bevel knives, sharpened on only one side of the blade. This form, inherited from tobacco knives, produces smooth cuts across ingredients and has long been favored by professional chefs.

Key Points
・In the 16th century, tobacco knives for cutting tobacco introduced from Portugal marked the beginning
・Permitted by the Edo shogunate to be sold with the “Sakai Kiwame” mark
・Specialist craftspeople divide the forging, sharpening, and handle-fitting work; mastering the skills takes more than 10–15 years
・Designated a nationally recognized Traditional Craft Product on March 5, 1982

To Frankfurt and Paris

As Japanese cuisine spreads around the world, Sakai knives are also drawing the attention of chefs overseas. Since fiscal 2022, Sakai City has exhibited with local cutlery businesses at Ambiente, one of the world’s largest international consumer-goods trade fairs, held in Frankfurt, Germany. According to city materials, the value of business deals concluded during the fair rose from about ¥11 million in fiscal 2022 to about ¥48 million in fiscal 2023 and ¥81 million in fiscal 2024, expanding sales channels chiefly in Europe. In February 2026, demonstrations of knife sharpening and care by a certified traditional craftsperson were also planned for chefs and culinary-school representatives in Paris.

More people from overseas are also visiting Sakai. According to Sakai City materials, annual sales at Sakai Denshokan, which introduces and sells traditional industrial products such as cutlery, reached a record high of about ¥230 million, partly as a result of outreach overseas that increased the number of visitors to Japan. Visitors can also seek advice at the center on choosing and caring for kitchen knives, bringing them close to the craft of Sakai, the city of blades.

Last time, we featured Nishijin-ori weaving in Kyoto Prefecture. VILLAGE Report vol.26: Kyoto Prefecture is here. Highlights of Osaka Prefecture include the Osaka Prefecture edition of the 47 Prefectures Guide here. Next time, we will visit Hyogo Prefecture.

References: Sakai City (Sakai forged cutlery; Organizational Management Policy of the Industrial Promotion Bureau; press-release materials), Osaka Prefecture (Traditional Crafts of Osaka), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, List of Designated Traditional Craft Products, Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries

—The Value Village Editorial Team

Photo: KENPEI / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)