Craftsman
佐治武士
TakeshiSaji
The story
Takeshi Saji (佐治武士) is the third-generation master of Saji Uchihamono, the Echizen workshop founded in 1916. The national register of Traditional Craftspersons lists him in the Echizen forged cutlery division, certified as a Dento Kogeishi (伝統工芸士) on 25 February 1994.
His path into the craft was short and steep. Straight out of junior high school he apprenticed under his father, the workshop's second generation, and entered a blacksmith training school the same year. In 1963 he succeeded to the third-generation name, and the trade profile that records that succession places him where he has worked ever since: Echizen, home to seven centuries of forged blades, where he is recorded as a third-generation smith of nata and forged cutlery.
Our connection with Saji-san is personal. On a visit to his workshop he stood James at his air hammer and taught him how to forge a knife — not a demonstration from across the room, but the hammer itself, under his direction. We carry a wide range of his work, and that afternoon is still how we understand it: the man is generous with the thing he knows best.
The workshop he leads has already arranged its future. His son-in-law Kazuo Nomura runs Saji Uchihamono today as its current president, and a grandson now officially carries the name Takeshi Saji, the second generation to bear it. The name on the blade is a working name, handed forward the same way the forge was handed to him in 1963.
In photographs
The relationship map 職人系譜
Masters, family, and the brands between them. Every line is a verified fact from our research. Tap a node to light up its connections and read its story.
Stories
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We trust this information is correct at the time of writing, but it is not an official document and details may change without notice. If you spot an error, tell us and we'll fix it.
