Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide vs. Sakai Takayuki artisan knives

[Dr. Rayeye]

Located in an Osaka cookware district in Japan, Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide serves tourists and local Chefs with a broad selection of artisan knives--ranging from a few hundred dollars for enthusiasts, to thousands of dollars for one of a kind collector's knife. They also have an internet presence, and can converse in multiple languages--shipping worldwide. Sakai Takayuki does not have a similar presence in Osaka, but is represented by marketers and resellers online and at retail shops that feature a similar, but more extensive selection of Sakai knives. Do these two brands cooperate or compete? Does anyone have one from either brand?

 

[Dr. Rayeye]

Here are the two websites:

Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide

Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide : Premium Japanese Knives from Osaka

From 1953 to today, Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide has been connecting home cooks and professional chefs to sharpness through Japanese knives from the heart of Osaka! We carry over 2,000 types of Sakai made knives. We ship internationally, so give your cooking a big boost with our amazing sharpness...

global.ichimonji.co.jp

Sakai Takayuki

https://aoki-hamono.co.jp/

Draw your own conclusions

 

[Dr. Rayeye]

Here's part of an email I received from a friend:

"Sakai Ichimonji brand uses multiple resources around Osaka and outside Osaka, They use various bladesmiths and manufacturers to complete their orders with the manufacturers and knife makers they do not make their own knives.

Sakai Takayuki is one of the resources they use to make Sakai Ichimonji knives and many other brands are using them (Sakai Takayuki). The only difference is that they (Sakai Ichimonji) have their own Engraves and sharpeners that also can replace pretty much any traditional handles (great for locals, less great for tourists as most of the services won't be possible to offer a tourist since they are not going there for repairs, etc).

Sakai Takayuki is not just a brand but a well-known manufacturer where many of the new Artisans have come from and learned most of it before opening their own manufacturing business in other prefectures. Also, the blacksmiths that have ventured for their own often go back to Sakai Takayuki to do some parts of the knife to refresh their skills, or to help them out (of course they are getting paid, but they often want to refresh their skills), each station has someone specialized in a certain task or someone overseeing it.

The knife market in Japan is more complex than we think with many online retailers added to the mix, but the process is pretty much the same, custom orders can be placed depending on the minimum order. The difference between Blacksmiths/mini manufacturers where they have a larger team but are still handmade vs. larger manufacturers is that larger manufacturer has more modernized machines."

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