We arrived in Sakai City, pulling into the parking lot of a huge industrial building. Sakai City is the heart of Japanese knife making, and we’d come to see the craftsmanship up close. Ogawa-San was waiting for us. Up to then, we only knew him by reputation and a few emails. That first meeting ended up being the start of a real friendship and a long working relationship with Sakai Takayuki. There was much to see, and we were excited to get a chance to see it up close.
Inside, the factory was a hive of activity. The heat from the forges was immediate, and the air carried the scent of steel and burning coal. The sound of hammers striking metal echoed throughout the space as skilled craftsmen worked methodically at their stations.
Each knife began as a billet of steel, which was forge-welded to layers of softer iron to create a laminated structure. The steel was heated, hammered, and stretched repeatedly until it took the rough shape of a blade.
Before hardening, the maker’s mark was pounded in with a metal stamp and mallet. A thin slurry of clay and water was applied to protect the carbon steel during heat treatment.
Finally, the blade was quenched in water to achieve the hardness that defines its cutting performance.
After observing this intricate process, we moved into a workshop lined with towering grinding wheels, where we were greeted by Grand Master Yamatsuka Mitsuo.
A designated national treasure of Japan, Mitsuo-San, alongside his wife and two sons, meticulously shapes Sakai Takayuki’s finest knives.
With over 50 years of experience, he masterfully balances sharpness, durability, and performance—transforming each blade into a piece of functional art. We watched in awe as he and his family ground the forged blanks with precision, revealing the striking contrast between the jigane (soft cladding) and the hagane (hardened steel), creating a breathtaking kasumi finish reminiscent of morning mist.
We watched the knives go from raw steel to finished product, and it was impressive. Sakai Takayuki has a showroom that used to be a club and is now a knife museum. The walls were covered in hand-engraved knives by Michiko Kubota, along with their huge selection of knives made over the years. It’s definitely worth a visit if you ever find yourself in Sakai City.