Fukube Kaji: A Blacksmith Where Tools Sustain Tradition

Fukube Kaji knows knives. Located in Ishikawa Prefecture in the port town of Ushitsu, the 118-year-old blacksmith shop is a local institution. Nestled between mountains and sea, in an area rich with traditional crafts, Fukube Kaji makes any and every kind of metal tool. This ranges from specialized hooks designed to open tough shells to farming hoes, survival knives, and traditional Japanese kitchen knives.

With a pulse on the Ishikawa crafts community, Fukube Kaji also works with local lacquerware makers, each contributing to the others’ tools. They also have a presence in ordinary Japanese households. Not only are their kitchen knives highly esteemed in Ishikawa Prefecture, but their eleven blacksmiths also sharpen around 20,000 knives per year from homes all across Japan.

Now entering the international kitchen knife market for the first time, MUSUBI KILN sat down with fourth-generation proprietor and blacksmith Hoshiba Kentaro and sales representative Mangyo Kazuya to talk about the connection between traditional craft, local culture, and the deep expertise that sets Fukube Kaji’s knives apart.

Fukube Kaji’s work is inseparable from the land and sea that sandwich their workshop. A traditional nokaji, literally “field blacksmith,” it’s even in the name.

Mangyo explains, “Here we have the mountains, seas, and town—three ‘fields.’ A nokaji like us comprehensively makes and repairs tools related to life in all of those fields.”

Whether fishermen and traditional female divers known as ama who work in the sea, farmers in the mountains, or cooks in the kitchen, Mangyo says, “The problems they need solving tend to gather at the blacksmith’s workshop. Protecting traditional fishing and farming, providing that sense of security and sustaining local livelihoods—that’s where the value lies.”

Ushitsu is the kind of place where an average person might buy their seafood directly from fishermen and be able to fillet a fish themselves. Here, locals need especially durable and sharp blades, “knives you wouldn’t find in ordinary retail shops,” to process certain marine catches. Quality knives like Fukube Kaji’s are “deeply embedded in the culture,” practically a fact of life.

As the needs of the community change, Fukube Kaji innovates to keep up. Take the TAFU Series Double-Bevel Makiri Knife, for instance: a durable outdoor survival knife. Based on the makiri knives Fukube Kaji has been making since 1908, this particular model—with a much-requested double-bevel blade—was developed in the aftermath of the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. The 7.6-magnitude quake caused extensive damage in Ishikawa Prefecture and drove thousands of people from their homes. “When people evacuated following the earthquake and tsunami warnings, some brought knives with them,” says Hoshiba. “When you might be struggling to survive for three days, a survival knife becomes an extremely reassuring item.”

While disaster preparedness may be an extreme case for most, campers, hikers, and anglers will appreciate the multifunctionality of this knife, which can handle cutting meat, gutting fish in the wild, and carving wood. It can even be struck with flint to start a campfire.

“Being between the sea and the mountains, this way of life itself—people and their tools live alongside nature, receiving blessings from nature.” Fishing, farming, cooking, camping: Fukube Kaji understands it all.

Founded in 1908, Fukube Kaji’s business began with making and repairing a wide variety of tools necessary for daily life in a fishing and farming community. With so much practical experience, Fukube Kaji’s blacksmiths have especially keen eyes for what makes a great blade.

Mangyo explains, “We don’t want to just sell our blades and be done. We want people to be able to use them for a long time.”

Embodying that is their Magomitsu blade construction. Literally translating to “grandchild shine” for its ability to hold up for three generations, these knives consist of an aogami steel core that extends the entire length of the blade.

This allows them to be sharpened many times over, yet still cut even when the steel thins. This premium make can be seen in Fukube Kaji’s Double-Bevel Deba Knife and TAFU Double-Bevel Makiri Knife.

The same philosophy of decades-long use is also reflected in the finer details. For instance, the kurouchi finish of the Kurouchi Gyuto Knife and Kurouchi Petty Knife.

Kurouchi refers to an oxidized coating that forms on the metal during forging. It’s technically a kind of rust, but not the red rust most of us are used to. Rather, it’s a beneficial “black rust” that helps prevent metal decay.

Mangyo explains, “Kurouchi isn’t simply about rust resistance. It aligns with our philosophy as toolmakers, the essential premise that our tools will be used for a long time.”

This belief even extends to their knives’ handles, which are finished with Yamanaka lacquerware for added water resistance. They are also made to fit comfortably in the hand. “Even a well-sharpened knife can hurt your hand if the handle has square edges, so the handles are carefully rounded and smoothed, allowing the knife to be used comfortably for long periods.”

Whether used over long years or long hours, each facet of these knives is made with durability and comfort in mind. It’s the sustainability of a quality item—one you only have to buy once, and then, if you take good care of it, can use for decades.

How did Fukube Kaji come to collaborate with the lacquer artisans who craft its knife handles? It all comes down to a local “mutual support network.”

“In Ishikawa’s traditional industry community,” Mangyo explains, “there’s a strong horizontal network. Everyone helps and elevates each other. So we naturally have strong relationships with Yamanaka lacquerware artists. We’re also close with Wajima lacquerware artisans and woodworkers who supply handle materials. Within Ishikawa, we collaborate and support one another.” Both Yamanaka and Wajima Lacquerware are traditional crafts of Ishikawa Prefecture.

Here, tool-making emerges as the common thread that brings the different industries together.

Hoshiba explains, “Local nokaji have the skills to restore tools to their proper shape, so artisans naturally come to us when they’re in trouble. That deepens the connection.”

“Tools are inseparable from traditional industries,” Mangyo agrees.

Besides the network of craftspeople, Fukube Kaji’s business expansion is also part of what contributes to the longevity of traditional craft. Today, in addition to making and repairing tools and knives, Fukube Kaji offers a mail-in knife-sharpening and repair service called Pochispa.

“Since we sharpen so many knives annually, we need a significant number of blacksmiths. Many sharpening shops operate with just one artisan, but we have eleven. This scale allows us to meet demand and cultivate new craftspeople. Without sufficient work volume and continuity, skills can’t be passed down. Being able to secure that demand contributes to cultural sustainability.”

The disastrous 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake resulted in caved-in roads, workshops thrown into disarray, collapsed buildings, and widespread fires. The importance of a craftsperson’s tools added to the difficulty local artisans faced in the aftermath.

Hoshiba explains, “Asaichi Street in Wajima”—the hub of Wajima lacquerware, located about an hour’s drive from Ushitsu—“suffered a major fire. An artisan can’t work without their tools, which are nearly as vital as life itself. Those tools were burned along with everything else.”

Though the metal parts of the tools remained, they were badly scorched and the steel had become soft, making them unusable.

“Wajima lacquerware artisans brought their tools to our shop in tears. When we saw the items, they were badly bent. Normally, tools in that condition would be beyond repair. But we’re craftspeople as well, so we instantly understood how critical those tools are. We prioritized repairing them, so that the artisans could return to work as quickly as possible.”

Hoshiba continues thoughtfully, “In that sense, I think our long-standing approach of protecting local industry carried over into the post-disaster period, when we prioritized responding to urgent needs.”

Rebuilding is a continual process. Even a year after the disaster, only 60% of the Wajima lacquerware artisans surveyed by the Wajima City Chamber of Commerce reported that their business was currently in operation. Two years later, some artisans remain in temporary workshops—a positive step, as they have been able to return to work, yet a reminder that recovery remains ongoing.

Though Fukube Kaji itself suffered some damage, they say it was relatively little compared to other businesses. That allowed the company to turn around and provide services to others. It’s part of the beauty of the local artisan network, one built on cooperation and mutual support. It’s precisely what makes Japanese traditional craft so special.