ZAKURI - A group of 7 “futuristic” and “avant-garde” blacksmiths in the Tosa region

About Zakuri

The Tosa Yamada region is strongly associated with Tosa Uchi Hamono (Handmade Tosa Knives). With the advent of modern machinery and industrialization, craftsmanship and cultural products have become less and less important in the region ; the sounds of forging knives has weakened.

Against all of this, concerned blade smiths got together to revive Tosa Uchi Hamono skills and to create new, futuristic, and avant-garde handmade Tosa knives. “ZAKURI” is named after a Japanese onomatopoeic word for the sound of cutting. In addition, ZAKURI alludes to the “sharp-minds, sharp-knife making skills and the friendship that cannot be cut” that the group of knife makers believe in. ZAKURI aims to create ever-lasting personal relationships through Tosa Uchi Hamono.

 

  

 

 

   Introduction of the 7 members

 

 

 

 

 

山崎龍太郎  (Ryutaro Yamazaki)  - Blacksmith

Ryutaro Yamazaki grew up with the sound of hammering, 鎚音(Tuschioto) from his father. It was this very sound from his father’s forge that inspired him to become a blacksmith. He works in a dark hole, called a Yokoza, that is about 1 meter deep. The Yokoza is designed to be dark because it allows him more clearly see fire in the hearth, and red hot steel, using his own eyes to gauge temperature. Like his father, he flips his hammer between strokes, but he is constantly aware that sounds differs between father and son. A sickle can be designed differently depending on the blacksmith and end user. This tailored manufacturing process is called free-forging in the Tosa region, distinctive in its flexibility to design details tailored to each customer.

Yamazaki has over 20 years of blacksmith experience. He graduated from a technical college, later working for a plastics company in Osaka. After leaving Osaka, he apprenticed to his farther at the age of 27. 

 

 

 

戸梶通国(Michikuni Tokaji) – Hocho (Kitchen Knife) Maker

Tokaji Michikuni’s knives reflect his unique journey to find his way in the knife making profession. He believes that in life, nothing is impossible. His kitchen knife designs are inspired by his interest in hunting. Tokaji graduated from a local high school and went to Tokyo to work for a small design company. He quit his job after a year and went to a fashion school, dropping out after a year. He returned to Kochi Prefecture, with hopes of becoming a painter. At the age of 22, he became interested in his own family’s business and decided to apprentice to his father. It has been more than 15 years since he first started making knives. He learned the knife-making process in a week, and now he is able to assess temperature by listening to hammering sounds.

 

 

 

 

 

Nobuaki Nishioka (西岡信昭) – Kuro Hocho/Kitchen Knife Maker

Nishioka Nobuaki believes his knives can be appreciated in daily life. He places a strong value on tradition, which he bears in mind while forging his knives. Making of Tosa Uchi Hamono traditionally utilizes a division of labor/specialization. For instance, one black smith family might specialize in kitchen knives and another in sickles. Nishioka’s family has been making Kurouchi Hocho (black kitchen knives) for 2 generations. Knife making was a part of his family environment and up-bringing. For him, taking over the family business was natural, and he did not have a doubt about becoming the next blacksmith in his family. This world of blacksmithing was all about “stealing skills by watching” - it took him a long time to be able to enjoy knife making. However, after 20 years, he gained many skills, and he now says that he is beginning to enjoy the knife making process. 

 

 

 

 

笹岡悟 (Satoru Sasaoka) – Scissor Maker   

After graduating from college, Satoru Sasaoka became a businessman. However, he soon became interested in apprenticing to his farther, Eiji Sasaoka. He was turned down initially by his father, but upon asking a second time, allowed to be an apprentice. He has been an apprentice for over 8 years.

The Sasaoka Hasami Seisakujyo is the only scissor making company in Kochi prefecture. Eiji Sasaoka was trained as a scissor maker in Sakai, Osaka and brought back scissor making to his home in the Tosa region about 30 years ago. He makes Ikebana (flower arrangement), gardening, and other types of scissors. The scissor-making process is done entirely by hand, and there are more than several dozen stages to complete just one pair of scissors. One great thing about hand-made scissors is that they sharpen really well.

 

 

山﨑洋介(Yosuke Yamazaki) – Blacksmith

Yosuke Yamazaki starts every day at seven thirty by firing up his forge. A red hot iron is quickly transfigured into sickle blade in a matter of minutes. Yosuke Yamazaki is the chairperson of ZAKURI. He is a third generation blacksmith.

Yamazaki went to technical college far away from home, but was hired at a company back in Kochi. However, he decided to join his family business at the age of 24, and apprenticed to his farther. The first sickle he ever made is still hanging on his factory wall as a reminder of his initial enthusiasm. When he hammers a sickle, he has absolutely nothing else in his mind except for the product. His father has never complimented his work – the master still tells his son “you are still green” and smiles.

 

 

 

 

小松広 (Hiroshi Komatsu) – Blacksmith (Specialized in Hatchet and Knife) 

Since he was a child, Hiro Komatsu’s dream was to become a blacksmith. He always wanted to apprentice to the blacksmith who lived next door to him. He waited until he finished junior high, at 16 years, and immediately apprenticed to Yoshio Uemura, one of the most renowned Tosa Blacksmiths. 26 years later, Hiro Komatsu is still excited about his profession and life-long learning.

Most of his products are order made. Knife maniacs across Japan order from him, some even creating their own designs for him to make. He completes the entire production process by hand in his factory.

 

 

 

 

 

迫田剛(Tsuyoshi Sakoda) – Togishi (Expert in Knife Sharpening on Whetstone)

Sakoda Tsuyoshi recognizes that “just a knife” for him can be “the knife” to his customers. There should never be any compromise on a product. Sakoda Hamono is run by him and his father. Sakoda Tsuyoshi, the second generation, sharpens the knives his father forges. He began making knives over 18 years ago. Immediately after he graduated from high school, he was told to go to a knife making company in Fukui prefecture to learn about the knife making process. After coming back to Kochi prefecture, he found that the family had secretly built a factory for him.

Initially, he did not enjoy his profession because it was forced upon him. However, after recognizing that the knife-making world is deep and requires a life-time of learning, he began to enjoy and appreciate his career. The eye-opening moment for him was when he attended Kochi prefecture’s knife festival, where he met knife makers from across the country. From then on, he was not only inspired by other local high-level professionals, but also motivated to learn from his masters in Tokyo and Kyoto how to better sharpen knives.   

 

 

Philosophy of ZAKURI (written in the picture below)

ZAKURI aims to create ever-lasting personal relationships through Tosa Uchi Hamono.  ZAKURI hopes to redefine the modern meaning of “knife”.  The original meanings of knives have been detached from modern people’s lives.  Now knives can even be considered dangerous- a lethal weapon.  Knives used to be necessary “tools” for day-to-day work, and were appreciated as cultural products.  ZAKURI is trying to bring this back through their knives, in a hope that Tosa Uchi Hamono could help make the world a better place.  A place where people care about each other and the Earth they live in.