Takefu Knife Villageタケフナイフビレッジ

Smiths from the member workshops forge, grind and sharpen blades while you watch from the deck. Echizen uchihamono is said to go back about 700 years, to a Kyoto swordsmith, Chiyozuru Kuniyasu, who settled in what is now Echizen and made sickles for local farmers.

The village opened in April 1993 as a shared workshop of local smiths. Fewer smiths work at weekends, so a weekday visit shows more.

The shop sells kitchen knives, scissors and other blades from the member smiths, and visitors can shop tax-free with a passport. There is a sharpening and repair service for knives you bring, and an online shop at tkvstore.net.

Pack a purchased knife in checked luggage if you fly: airlines do not allow blades in the cabin.

The class covers nearly every step: heating the steel and hammering it into shape, quenching, grinding, engraving your name and fitting the handle, taught by working smiths. It is ¥20,000, takes 6 hours from 9:30 and is for ages 18 and over; a ¥5,000 deposit is taken at booking. Classes run on irregular dates.

The village site lists the knife class for individuals and says group and school classes are suspended. A short sharpening class is also listed on other sites, and I could not confirm its price, so ask when you book.