Fukube Kaji
Fukube Kaji is a blacksmith workshop on the Noto Peninsula, founded in 1908. As a local nokaji rooted in Noto—where the sea and mountains sit close together—it has long made durable, practical tools, including woodcutting knives, fishermen’s tools, and kitchen knives, drawing on knowledge shaped by the region’s environment and daily life. In addition to tools needed locally, the workshop also works on the development and restoration of tools required in traditional culture and industrial fields across Japan.
Fukube Kaji starts by understanding the problems, then makes the tool to solve them. Each piece is made to support the user’s work and everyday life.
Fukube Kaji was founded in 1908 by its first-generation master, Hoshiba Yusaku. After training as a blacksmith in Wajima, Hoshiba opened his forge in the Fujinami area of Noto Town and began work rooted in the local community. From 1913, he traveled by horse-drawn carriage through villages across Oku-Noto, repairing and producing blades as well as tools for farming and fishing.
As the times changed, so did the business. In the early Showa period (1926–1989 CE), the workshop established a storefront in Uzu, Noto Town. After the war, mechanization and population decline led to more people saying that bringing tools all the way to the shop had become a burden. In response, Fukube Kaji began a traveling blacksmith service in 2015, visiting settlements to work on-site. The approach—going out into the region and making tools close to the people who use them—has been handed down unchanged since the founding.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of shared global objectives aimed at creating a society in which people can continue to live safely and with peace of mind. One of these goals centers on the principle of responsible production and responsible consumption.
In Japan, it is not uncommon for items to be discarded once they are damaged or no longer function as intended. This practice, however, leads to the unnecessary waste of valuable resources. At Fukube Kaji, efforts are made to extend the life of tools through a sharpening service in which dull knives are collected, carefully resharpened, and returned for continued use. It also supports kitchen knives used in households across Japan. To date, more than 600,000 knives have been sharpened through this program, earning it wide recognition as the country’s leading knife-sharpening service.
Fukube Kaji also works in collaboration with businesses in other fields, including lacquerware makers, to develop new knives. In addition, the workshop is working toward becoming a space where visitors can observe artisans at work, while also promoting the appeal of the Noto region. By valuing tools and encouraging long-term use, Fukube Kaji continues to pursue craftsmanship that is considerate of both people and the environment.
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