Takeshi Saji fixed blades

[Vonderek]

A few years back I did some work in Tokyo. I was mesmerized by a side trip to the sword museum. I also found some handmade knives in a few shops which I didn't buy but which later led me to Takeshi Saji. I am a big fan of his work but have only been able to order a few samples of his craftsmanship.

 

[A.L.]

They are fantastic lookers for sure, but I haven't been that impressed by their actual use value for the bigger ones. I've had few of his big pieces, but I recently traded my second and last one. I appreciate the beauty and tradition, but not so much the functionality anymore I am afraid.

 

[KenHash]

No doubt those are very beautiful knives. Mr Saji is a renowned traditional knifemaker, in fact certified as a "Traditional knifemaker"
by the Japaese government. Working mostly with shirogami damacus, his hunting knives are all in the washiki/ken-nata foramat.
When I think of this style of knife, the top 3 names that come to my mind are Saji of Takefu, Toyokuni of Kouchi, and Kanetsune of Seki.