Cutlery Production Hubs:About Seki in Japan
SekiCity, Japan has been the center of Japanese cutlery production since the middle of the 13th century. It was a natural choice because of its rich resources of iron and charcoal and its proximity to water all important elements in the crafting of fine cutlery.
The history(about 780 years)of Seki cutlery industry dates back to the 13th century, when master swordsmith, Motoshige moved from “kyushu” district to Seki and began making his swords here. He chose Seki for its natural as well as marelial conditions. Seki offered, at the top of list, good quality iron sand, chacoal and water.
Durling the Muromachi Era(1338-1573), which began just a century later, there were over 300 swordsmiths working in Seki. Kanemoto Magoroku and Saburo Shizu were two of the most famous. The superior quality of Seki swords and the name of Seki were quickly recognized throughout Japan and its solid reputation as a swordmaking center was established.
The Seki-City, Gifu-Prefecture is a small town located in the middle of Japan, and is famous worldwide for its production of knives like Solingen in Germany.
The teqniques and skills and the ancient attitudes of traditional Japanese swordmaking has been passed down across the centuries and are still alive in today’s modern cutlery industry. And Seki City remains a vibrant center of Japanese cutlery manufacture.
Today, Seki City remains the vibrant hub of Japanese cutlery manufacturing. The techniques and skills of the ancient swordsmiths have been passed down for centuries and continue to develop and progress with modern technology.
