All our Japanese knives are made by those crafts-men by their hand
Keijiro Doi
He was born in 1927 and entered the field at the age of 19 succeeding his father who was reputed to be a master in Sakai. After many years of training, he was certified a Blacksmith Meister in 1987 by the Minister of International Trade and Industry.
Furthermore, in the 1997 Spring Conferment, he was awarded the Green Paulownia Leaves Medal.
Yukinori Oda
The Order of the Sacred Treasure, Silver Rays, in 2007. He has been involved in grinding knives for 53 years. At the age of 20, he was apprenticed to a master
"Sharpness of a knife is 100% even for a brand-new one.
Enhancing it to 120% is the job of knife grinders." He still engraves the lesson implanted by the master in his mind,
"Even if a knife is worn out, sharpness comes back when it is re-sharpened." Oda is pursuing the manufacture of genuine knives.
The title "Meister"
The title "Meister" or traditional craftsman is authorized by the
Minister of International Trade and Industry only to craftsmen who
have inherited and improved their skills over a long period of time in
the field of Japanese traditional industries and craftwork and have
passed strict screening tests. Sakai knives have a 600-year history
supported by the excellent skills inherited from generation to
generation by Meisters.
