KIREAJI began with 100 knives—and 100 lives behind them.

In 2020, when the pandemic brought my in-person classes to a halt, I began sharpening knives for friends.
One knife became ten.
Ten became fifty.
By the end of the year, more than one hundred knives had passed through my hands.

Each blade told a quiet story.
A softened edge shaped by years of meals.
A spine worn smooth by countless hands.
A handle polished not by machines, but by time.

And every time I returned a knife, I heard the same question:

“Where can I find a truly great Japanese knife?”

That single question—and the stories carried by those hundred blades—became the beginning of KIREAJI.

HOW — How We Protect True Japanese Craftsmanship

To honor those stories, we chose a single path:
to work directly with the craftsmen themselves.

We partnered with Shiroyama Knife Workshop in Sakai, Japan—
a city whose knives are trusted by 98% of Japan’s professional chefs.

Every KIREAJI knife is created through Sakai’s historic division-of-labor system:
one master for forging, one for sharpening, and one for handle-making.

There are no middlemen.
No distributors.
No “Japanese-style” imitations.

Only authentic Sakai craftsmanship—
shipped directly from the workshop to your kitchen, with complete transparency.

We also choose not to spend on advertising.
Instead, every possible resource is returned to two places that truly matter:
the craftsmen who create these blades,
and the people who choose to use them.

Through the Japanese Knife Academy,
we share knowledge so that people around the world can understand—not just buy—real Japanese knives.

Because we believe the strongest form of marketing is not advertising,
but trust, understanding, and the voices of those who cook with our knives every day.

WHAT — What You Receive from KIREAJI

A KIREAJI knife is not mass-produced.
It is completed after you place your order.

Each handle is fitted by hand, and upon request, the blade receives Honbazuke—
the final hand-sharpening performed by a master craftsman.

This is the same level of craftsmanship trusted in Japan’s finest professional kitchens—
the quality relied upon by the 98%.

And because every blade deserves respect,
we include a handcrafted wooden saya (sheath) with every order, at no additional cost.

You don’t simply receive a knife.

You receive a living piece of Sakai’s tradition— crafted for you, by hands carrying over six centuries of skill,
and made to accompany you through a lifetime of cooking.