Release of Photobook on Japanese Knife Artisan Kenji Togashi | The World of Sakai Forged Knives and Hontanzo (Hand-Forging)

Hello everyone. My name is Yosuke Kamata. I am the fourth-generation owner of Kamata Hakensha.

Today, I would like to introduce a photobook.

The title is “Sakai Forged Knives: Blacksmith Kenji Togashi” and the work is published by Kajiwara Shobo.

Kenji Togashi is a master of traditional crafts who creates knives in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture.

In fact, I had the pleasure of working at the Togashi Knife Forging Workshop about ten years ago.

Before joining my family business at Kamata Hakensha, I traveled to Osaka for a year to study the work of local artisans. I had the good fortune to work at Mr. Togashi’s workshop.

Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, is a famous production area for handmade Japanese knives.

In particular, Kenji Togashi is a veteran blacksmith who has been in the business for nearly 50 years and is also a qualified master of traditional crafts.

He creates his blades using the highly advanced hand-forging technique. In this technique, Yasuki Steel, a traditional steel produced by Hitachi Metals, is heated in a cauldron, hammered, and shaped into knives.

The “Forged Knives” in the photobook title refer to blades crafted using the challenging forging technique.

Traditional Japanese knives such as Yanagiba (single-edged slicing knives) and Deba (butchering knives) are made using this technique. Many Japanese knives are produced every day at Mr. Togashi’s workshop.

Now, this photobook has been released to commemorate the culmination of Togashi Kenji’s career as a blacksmith.

In the photobook, Kamata Hakensha was also featured to showcase his work.

Although my writing lacks sophistication, I have also included episodes I witnessed during the year I was fortunate to work with him.

I hope you will purchase the photobook and take a look at the work of Kenji Togashi.

Also, if you are interested in forged blades, please visit Kamata Hakensha when you are in Kappabashi.

Our staff will be happy to introduce many of Kenji Togashi’s works.

I hope you found this feature informative. I’ll see you next time!

Yosuke Kamata
Fourth-generation owner of Kamata Hakensha (specialty knife shop on Kappabashi Dougu Street)

What is Kurouchi (Blacksmith Finish)? An easy-to-understand explanation of characteristics, benefits, and traditional techniques
https://www.kap-kam.com/en/blog/what-is-black-strike/