Sakai knives, the best quality of Japanese knives

Located in the center of the Kansai region, Sakai city with its thousand-year-old history attracts foreign and Japanese tourists. With a renowned industry and a world-famous port for centuries, the region is the birthplace of the famous Japanese tea ceremony and the famous Japanese Sakai knives.


Sakai city has Kofun, huge funeral mounds built during antiquity that house the remains of ancient rulers. The largest of all the country is located in Sakai: that of Emperor Nintoku, the 16th Japanese emperor and date of the fourth century!

Sakai began to flourish during the Muromachi period (14th to 16th century). Its privileged position allowed it to quickly become a leading international port that earned it the nickname "Venice of Asia" by European missionaries who came to Japan.

But Sakai is best known for our cutlery. Ironwork has been practiced since the fifth century, the period of construction of kofun. Knife and katana blades are being made during the Heian era (8th-12th century) and firearms since the introduction of arquebuses by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century. Once Japan was pacified, during the Edo era, craftsmen in the region devoted themselves more to the manufacture of kitchen knives and scissors. Their fame was such that the shogunate granted Sakai's knives a special distinction.


The popularity of Sakai knives is primarily due to the design: simple, efficient and typical Japanese style. Above of all, its ability to cut food easily and effortlessly that has pleased chefs across the world: its use, even prolonged, is actually not all tiring. In addition, as handling requires very little force during cutting, the risk of injury is reduced.

However, they require attention: Sakai knives are not made of stainless steel, which requires some care from their users to prevent rusting. But a well-maintained and regularly sharpened Sakai knife will be perfectly usable for decades!

Each step of the Sakai knife is made with extreme care and each craftsman checks the work done in the previous step to offer only the best quality: only perfection is tolerated!
Everything from the steel used to the cooling water is rigorously controlled to ensure incredible Sakai knife quality, which means that their reputation has never waned.

The Sakai knife is an ideal souvenir to bring back from Japan. We not only invite you to discover the city of Sakai and to meet its exceptional artisans, but our excursion will also allow you to participate in the development of your own Sakai knife! This exceptional object will be even more special to you.



Click here to find out more about our trip to Sakai City

Click here to discover our other excursion ideas in the Kansai region