Shaping the Future of Cultural Preservation: The Story of the Echizen Knife

Shinya Yamada
Aug 3, 2025
6 min read

Echizen Knife: A Blueprint for the Future of Japanese Traditional Crafts

Many of Japan's traditional crafts, with their centuries of history, are facing a crisis. An aging artisan population, a lack of successors, and shrinking domestic markets are common struggles. So, when you find a 700-year-old craft that is not just surviving, but thriving—with young artisans joining its ranks and sales growing year after year—it's essential to look closer.

Once facing a crisis of decline, Echizen cutlery has made a remarkable comeback by continually rising to meet the challenges of the times. By combining exceptional sharpness with modern design, prices increased, and high praise from famous international chefs sparked a surge in demand from the West. As a result, the production value of Echizen cutlery more than tripled in the 12 years from 2009 to 2021 (Source: Echizen Cutlery Cooperative Association). This incredible turnaround begs the question: how did they do it?

On a recent visit to Echizen, Fukui, I believe I found the answer. What impressed me most was not just the incredible sharpness of the Echizen knives, but the successful system for cultural preservation they have built. It’s a story of how a community faced a crisis and created a revolutionary model that could offer a blueprint for the future of traditional crafts everywhere.

Information on the knife-making class and how to purchase these Japanese knives can be found at the end of this report.

The Turning Point: High-Value Addition Through Design

In the 1970s, the Echizen cutlery industry was in decline. Competition from cheap, mass-produced knives was fierce, and many small, family-run workshops were forced to close. In response, a group of ten young artisans, including key figures from the Kamo, Anryu, and Kitaoka families, formed the "Takefu Cutlery Industry Research Group" in 1973 to find a way forward.

Their turning point came in 1982, when they met Kazuo Kawasaki, a world-renowned industrial designer and a Fukui native. He introduced the concept of industrial design to their traditional craft. After a year of collaboration, they launched a new line of products under the unified "Takefu Knife Village" brand. This fusion was transformative. The exceptional quality of Echizen knives was now paired with elegant, modern aesthetics. This elevated the brand's value, allowing the knives to be sold at a premium price in new global markets. It was a powerful lesson: marrying time-honored utility with art and design is a key to survival.

The Heart of the Revival: A Cooperative Workshop

To build on this momentum, the artisans embarked on their biggest gamble: building a shared workshop. In 1993, with no subsidies and each of the ten founding members taking on a ¥30 million loan, the Takefu Knife Village was born. This collective was formed by ten companies, including Kamo Cutlery, Anryu Cutlery, Kitaoka Cutlery, and Saji Cutlery, who all shared a common vision.

This cooperative workshop brilliantly solves many of the challenges faced by artisans.

It lowers barriers: Young artisans without the capital for their own workshop can start their careers here using shared equipment.
It fosters collaboration: Instead of being isolated, artisans work side-by-side, sharing techniques and building a sense of camaraderie.
It provides a safety net: In the traditional apprentice system, a difficult relationship with a master could end a career. Here, with multiple mentors, young craftspeople have a healthier, more stable learning environment, all while dreaming of one day owning their own workshop.

This is what impressed me the most. The Takefu Knife Village is not just a factory; it's an ecosystem designed to nurture the next generation.

A Philosophy of "Betrayal" and Uncompromising Quality

The policy of the Takefu Knife Village includes a fascinating phrase: "To cherish tradition, we must have the conviction to betray it." This philosophy of questioning convention is what allowed them to embrace industrial design and adapt to changing times. This innovation, however, is built on a foundation of undeniable quality. Echizen cutlery was the first in Japan to be designated a "Traditional Craft" by the government in 1979. Their unique techniques, like "Nimaibiroge" (hammering two blades together to create a thin, strong knife), result in a blade that is both incredibly sharp and durable.

This quality is why their knives are sought after by top chefs like Shuzo Kishida of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Quintessence, and have gained widespread fame after being featured in the popular TV drama Grand Maison Tokyo, used by its star Takuya Kimura. After the drama concluded, the Takamura brothers of Takamura Cutlery presented Kimura with a set of "Dakumokumo-Hana" Damascus knives for his personal use. These knives are made by layering hard steel with 32 sheets of different stainless steel on each side. The careful forging and grinding reveal a beautiful, wave-like pattern, reminiscent of ancient swords from Damascus, Syria, from which they get their name. With over 100 steps in their creation, these knives are so popular that they often have a six-month waiting list.

The 700-Year Journey of Echizen Cutlery

The history of Echizen cutlery began in 1337 when a master swordsmith from Kyoto, Chiyozuru Kuniyasu, came to Echizen seeking the region's pure water for his craft. Alongside forging swords, he began making sickles (kama) for the local farmers.

The reputation of these exceptionally sharp sickles spread throughout Japan thanks to the traveling lacquer craftsmen (urushi-kaki shokunin) of Echizen. They used the sickles for their own work and sold them on their journeys, creating a nationwide distribution network. By the Meiji era (1868-1912), Echizen was producing nearly a third of all sickles in Japan. However, as agriculture became mechanized, the demand for hand-made sickles plummeted, forcing the industry to shift its focus from sickles to kitchen knives.

Forging Steel and Spirit: The Making Process of an Echizen Knife

The creation of an Echizen knife is a complex process involving over 100 steps. The key stages include:

Forge Welding: A piece of hard steel (hagane) is sandwiched inside a piece of soft iron (jigane).
Shaping: The combined metal is heated and hammered into the rough shape of a knife.
The "Nimaibiroge" Technique: In this unique Echizen method, two blades are stacked and hammered together. This allows the artisan to forge the blades thinly and evenly while maintaining strength.
Quenching & Tempering: The blade is heated to around 800°C and rapidly cooled in water (yaki-ire) to harden the steel. It is then gently reheated at a low temperature (yaki-modoshi) to add toughness and prevent brittleness.
Grinding & Finishing: The blade is meticulously sharpened and polished on a series of grinding stones, creating its final razor-sharp edge.

A Virtuous Cycle of Hope

Today, the workshops at Takefu Knife Village are filled with young, dedicated artisans. They chose this path because they saw a bright future in Echizen cutlery, and their very presence, in turn, makes that future even brighter. During my visit, I was fortunate to witness this virtuous cycle of hope firsthand.

Final Thoughts: A Legacy Forged for the Future

This is more than just a success story; it is a living model for how traditional crafts can survive and thrive. And you can experience it, too. The Takefu Knife Village offers a knife-making class where you can forge your own blade under the guidance of a master craftsman.

The full-day experience takes about six hours, costs ¥20,000 (plus a separate fee for an interpreter guide), and covers most of the process from forging the hot steel to attaching the handle. It’s a chance not just to make a knife of incredible quality, but to feel the spirit of a community that turned a crisis into a global legacy.

Although my visit to Echizen City was only a single day, it completely exceeded my expectations. Both the visit to the papermaking workshop and the Takefu Knife Village left a lasting impression far beyond what I had imagined beforehand. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Vice Mayor Tatsuta and the tourism team of Echizen City.

Echizen City’s efforts in industrial tourism have been drawing attention both domestically and internationally. They were awarded the Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner's Awards at the Japan Tourism Awards in 2024, and Serandipians, an association of luxury travel agencies primarily based in Europe, also visited Echizen City for an inspection.

However, the reality is that there are still very few foreign travelers visiting Echizen City. We would like to do our part, however small, to help attract more international travelers to this wonderful city of Echizen. As a first step, we aim to connect Echizen washi with our Ukiyo-e printmaking experiences in Tokyo, and from there, build connections between Tokyo's traditional culture and regional traditions. We will continue to share updates going forward.