Aritsugu is a Japanese

knife A knife (: knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least Stone Age, 2.5 million years ago, as e ...

and

cooking utensil A kitchen utensil is a small hand-held tool used for food preparation. Common kitchen tasks include cutting food items to size, heating food on an open fire or on a stove, baking, grinding, mixing, blending, and measuring; different utensils ar ...

producer and store, founded by Fujiwara Aritsugu in 1560. It is one of the oldest knifemakers in Japan and one of the oldest companies in the World. Aritsugu was involved in the production of

swords A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

and was appointed a supplier for the

Imperial House of Japan The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State ...

, before the requirement for new blades diminished due to a more peaceful era emerging through the influence of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

during the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

in the 17th and 18th centuries. During this period Aritsugu switched its primary production from swords to the pointed knives that were used to carve statues of Buddha. In the late 19th century

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

, there was strong growth in demand for kitchen knives and cooking utensils developing in Japan because of stable government and improved living conditions. Aritsugu used its experience in blade production to focus on this emerging market. The current proprietor of Aritsugu is Shinichiro Terakubo, who took over from his father in 1956 when Shinichiro was 17 years of age. He is the 18th generation to be involved in the running of the store since its inception. Shinichiro teaches cooking, knife sharpening and use classes through the store. The main store has been located at the Nishiki Market in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

since it moved in 1781 from Sakaimachi Street, where the shop was located for almost 200 years and where the company's offices are still based.

References

External links

Nishiki Market - Aritsugu
{{knives Companies established in the 1560s Japanese brands Kitchen knife brands Knife manufacturing companies Manufacturing companies of Japan