Traditional craft
Echigo Sanjo Uchihamono
越後三条打刃物
Hand-forged kitchen knives, carpentry tools, sickles and pruning shears from Sanjo in Niigata, each shaped and tempered for its task.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 28 April 2009
- Type
- Metalwork
- Region
- Chubu
- Official name in Japanese
- 越後三条打刃物
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 三条市
A blade for every job
Sanjo blades use shapes and steels specialised for each field of use, so they are easy to handle, hold their edge and last for years. The range runs from kitchen knives and kiridashi to planes, chisels, hatchets, axes, sickles, pruning shears and even traditional Japanese nails. They are made in Sanjo in Niigata, the same prefecture as Tsubame's hammered copperware.
Every step by hand
- Steel and iron are forge-welded together.
- The blade is shaped in the fire, then edged and ground.
- It is quenched and tempered, and any warping is straightened out.
- Each of these steps is done by hand.
From farm tools and nails
Since medieval times Sanjo has made farm tools such as sickles and hoes. Farmers began forging wakugi, Japanese nails, as off-season work, and from there smiths moved on to knives, planes, chisels, pruning shears and axes. Sanjo smiths still make their own forging tools, such as yattoko tongs, so the whole chain from tool to finished blade is handed down.
Good to know
- Tell the maker what you cook or cut; Sanjo blades are shaped for specific jobs.
- Pack knives in checked luggage, never in your carry-on.
Questions travellers ask
What do Sanjo smiths make?
Kitchen knives, carpentry tools, sickles, pruning shears, axes, tongs and traditional nails.
When was it designated?
On 28 April 2009.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.