Takefu Knife Village

In the 1970s, the craftsmen of the Echizen blade-making region were facing a difficult future: aging blacksmiths, lack of successors, declining sales, and competition from mass-produced stainless-steel knives. In response, a group of younger artisans – including Katsuyasu Kamo, Katsushige Anryu, Hideo Kitaoka, Hiroshi Kato, Haruji Totani, Masanobu Okada, Shiro Kamo, Takeshi Saji, Kazuyoshi Honda, and the late Masami Azai – came together in 1973 to found the Takefu Forged Blade Industry Study Society.

With the vision of combining the region’s traditional forging techniques with contemporary design, the group collaborated in 1982 with designer Kazuo Kawasaki to develop a new brand identity under the name Takefu Knife Village, producing a first collection of 17 items and launching their exhibition in Tokyo in 1983.

In May 1993, the physical facility and cooperative complex known as Takefu Knife Village was completed in Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture. It became a shared base for ten founding companies, including Kamo Knives, Anryu Knives, Kitaoka Knives, Kato Knife Manufacturing Inc., Okada Knives, Kamoto Hamono Ltd., Saji Knives, Honda Knives, and Azai Knives.