Japan’s ‘Echizen Uchihamono’ knives sought after by chefs overseas — Blades are forged by hand, using techniques carefully passed down from about 700 years ago

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1. Excerpt:

   >Echizen knives forged according to centuries-old methods are proving to be a hit abroad, with many chefs visiting workshops in the town in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan.

   >”Echizen Uchihamono” blades are forged by hand using techniques carefully passed down from around 700 years ago. The knives, despite being light and thin, are durable and sharp.

   >The knives are designated by the government as a “traditional craft product,” requirements for which include being an everyday object that employs traditional raw materials and techniques.

   >Echizen knives worth around 2 billion yen ($15 million) were produced in fiscal 2021, more than triple the level in fiscal 2011, with roughly a quarter bound for other countries, mainly in Europe and the United States.

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   >The traditional knives became more widely known outside of Japan through a cooking event held in New York in 2012, according to Terukazu Takamura, the president of Takamurahamono, a factory founded in 1945 that makes the knives.

   >French chef Regis Marcon, a 1995 Bocuse d’Or winner and chief organizer of the international chef competition, praised them on a visit to the factory in 2017, Takamura added.

   >”I hear that the quality of a knife’s sharpness is directly tied to a cook’s motivation. I want to continue to make tools that support the art of cooking,” he said.

   Kyodo, 8 Jan. 2023.