A Visit to Kikuichi

Kikuichi Knife Makers

Osaka, Nara, Sakai - Japan

Author: Joseph

 

Getting There

12+ hours... on a flight... then a bus... then dinner. Just try to stay awake. 

I got lucky and landed in Tokyo early. I stumbled my way through the international terminal onto a bus and over to the domestic side of the airport to get on an earlier flight to Osaka with ~10 minutes to spare.

I was treated to a seat on a 787 on a blue sky day. A few minutes into the flight Mt. Fuji appeared. Now I ask for the mountainside window seat on trains too. You should too. This time I got lucky for a second time in the same day. 

I got lucky a third time in the following days. Our hosts on this trip, Mrs. Ikuyo and team, were generous with their time, hospitality and desire to share what they know. It was a marvelous 10 days. 

To the Forge

We snagged an egg sandwich from a 7-11 and then coffee from another breakfast place across the street. I typically rise before the sun and grab coffee first thing. It was strange to NOT find coffee places open. I've since learned that coffee is for the afternoons in Japan and I plan ahead with various travel coffee solutions.
We boarded a bright orange bus - my first ever. American busses are yellow or the municipal buses are typically a shade of white or blue. During our 90 minute drive to the forge I was particularly struck by how orderly things were on the road. Things take the time they take in Japan. There is not much rushing, anywhere. 
I was delighted to have the chance to go to the forge first. Mr. Enami san was there to greet us. As we stood outside with the team of makers in something of a safety talk I reflected on the day dreaming I had done in the previous weeks about what a forge would be like. Would it be too hot? Would the air be chalky or the light bright? 

 

It was certainly hot near the fire. I was also struck by how clean things were for how dirty the processes of knife making are. See above... orderly. I spent a few hours wondering why it was so dark in the forge only later to learn, in a very acute and slightly embarrassing way, that it's dark so the temperature of the metal can be seen. 

Specialized machinery is all around. Some of it powerful. None of it automated. All of it working only in close connection with its human operator. The mastery of the craft of making was evident throughout.

Like all work places, this one also had texture. The bike parking is essential in this part of town. Bikes are everywhere. Those and some knife related news articles set a nice tone to the entry corner of the shop. 

Three power hammers were strategically placed near complementary tools. In Japan, the hammers are typically placed on ground level and the operator stands in a hole. In this shop there were at least two tools near each hole. 

A coin dropped in the slot for me when I saw the template wall. "Ah, those are "all" the shapes." I got into the knife world through the sharpening lense. Checking and setting shapes is something I learned second. Now I can little look at a knife without checking it's geometry much less pick one up and use it without assessing it's cutting stroke.

Everything was purposeful in this shop. The tools, their setting, the racking and spacing, the templates and more were were all just so. And so was the utter joy of Mr. Enami san. 

I was there less than 5 minutes when I heard myself think, "I could come back here and stay for months." 

 

The local museum

There is a traditional crafts and museum just down the road. Loads of knives made in the region are on display along with a knife making process exhibit upstairs. 

In the US it is common for expertise to disperse around a city. It's maybe even frowned on to have "competitors" geographically near each other. That's not the case in this part of the world. 

Making handles 

On the same train line, a few stops down, the family of handle making collaborators have a workshop across from a 7-11. Three generations of expertise operates with crisp repeatable action and few words. I was struck by the pragmatism exhibited in the equipment placement and the prioritization of quality and speed. Movements here are deliberate and the product quality is high. 

 

To the sharpener

Mr. Ajioka san and his team hosted us in his workshop on a Saturday. They were generous with their space and demonstrations. Again, this work place, like the others, was so obviously designed with acute purposes in mind. In this case, sharpening.   

Blades from the forge arrive at a "sharpener" for more than a cutting edge. The sharpener crafts the geometry of the blade as well as the finish through various processes before a final edge is applied. 

 

I continue to look back on the hours in this shop and observe insights into sharpening. Some things are the way I thought they were. Others are the opposite. I would welcome a series of months learning in a shop like this in the coming years. 

 

Assemble

The handles, the blades from the sharpener and the packaging all arrive at a final shop for finishing. The main processes here are to install the blade and to apply the traditional Kanji characters representing blade details such as the maker. Mr. Ohye san has loads of skill. 

HQ

Finally, our hosts held an event for the makers and local business leaders at their headquarters. We had a chance to learn a few tips on stone sharpening and to experience the retail presentation environment - including their public finishing stations and the famous deer of Nara. 

Let's go again

I'd go do that again. The next time I'll go with a much deeper awareness of the process of knife making and how they dance together in different ways to create the final products. I'll have more advanced questions next time too.

It was a blast. Here's to next time! 

 

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