Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide at Japan Craft Expo 2025

Table of Contents

1. About "JAPAN CRAFT EXPO 2025"
2. Our Booth Details
3. A Message from Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide's President
4. JAPAN CRAFT EXPO 日本工芸産地h博覧会 in 大阪・関西万博2025
5. Further Information and Press Enquiries

JAPAN CRAFT EXPO 2025 is an exhibition that has gathered 20 craft production areas and three special projects from around Japan. This EXPO was previously held in 2021 and 2023. Previous versions have hosted many workshops and been an opportunity for locals and travellers to learn about various Japanese crafts - many of them traditional.

At the Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide booth, exhibitions and products will demonstrate the creative process behind the traditional art of Sakai knifemaking (Sakai Uchihamono - 堺打刃物).

Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide also plans on showcasing a demonstration of kireaji (切れ味) to convey the message of good cutting ability supported by superior sharpness.

Exhibition

Sakai Uchihamono demonstrates a world-recognized quality of individual specialization, incorporating the traditional craftsman's division of labor skill system. We will exhibit that process and what it takes for a single traditional Japanese kitchen knife to be completed.

Sales

A variety of our Japanese kitchen knives will be available for sale* throughout the event (*Note: Customers will not be allowed to take the knives with them at point of sale, as they will be delivered directly to a hotel or house address or be made available for pickup from our branch at a later date).

Demonstration

We will demonstrate how to properly cut paper and vegetables with a kitchen knife sharpened by Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide's craftsmen. Experienced staff members will also be on site to explain these processes in Japanese, English, and other languages (depending on the day) as well as answer any questions attendees may have about Sakai Uchihamono.

I am very honored to be able to exhibit at the World Expo, an "experimental field for future society," along with many wonderful crafts from all over Japan. Thankfully, Japanese kitchen knives are loved and appreciated by professional chefs, home cooks, and families all over the world.

However, in modern times, we see more and more people using inexpensive items in a disposable fashion, with kitchen knives being no exception. Some data shows that 60% of households do not use sharpening stones, and simply replace their kitchen knife with a new one if it no longer cuts.

Compared to pavilions showcasing cutting-edge technologies from countries all over the world, it may seem like "crafts" are an inefficient industry at first glance.

However, in the midst of this inefficiency, there is a human activity irreplaceable by AI or robotics; a skill that has been honed by human hands over generations, and the relationships that bind those generations together to repair what is previously made.

We believe that the path shown through crafts is a new form of cultural abundance, beyond mass production and thus mass consumption.

The richness of a tool's long life that is passed onto the next generation.

I look forward to seeing you all at the Expo.

Ryo Tanaka
3rd Generation President
Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide

"We believe that the path shown through crafts is a new form of cultural abundance..."

Dates and Times
Monday June 16 - Wednesday June 18, 2025.
09:00-21:00 (09:00-18:00 on the final day)

Venue
EXPO Messe "WASSE" (inside Osaka and Kansai World Expo Venue: Yumeshima, Konohana Ward, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture)

Admission Fee
Free* (However, a ticket for Osaka and Kansai World Expo is required)

Contents
Exhibitions, sales, experiences, and demonstrations of crafts throughout Japan

Participants
20 craft brands, 3 special exhibiting groups

Website
https://kougei-sunchi.or.jp/expo_en/

List of Exhibitors (20 companies through Japan, 3 special exhibitors)

Tōhoku: OIGEN Foundry <Iwate>, Odate Kōgēsha <Akita>, Hoshi AlteMeister <Fukushima>
Kantō-Kōshin'etsu: Sghr・Sugahara Glassworks <Chiba>, Comomg <Saitama>, Gyokusendō <Niigata>
Hokuriku: Taya Shikkiten <Ishikawa>, Nōsaku <Toyama>, Hacoa <Fukui>
Chūbu-Kansai: Kamoshika Dōguten <Mie>, Nakagawa Masashichi Shōten <Nara>, ECONOLEG <Nara>, Yamaga Shikki <Wakayama>, Somemichi <Wakayama>, KIKUI SCISSORS <Wakayama>, Hishiya Calenblosso <Osaka>, Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide <Osaka>
Chūgoku-Shikoku-Kyūshū: Tanabe Tatara no Sato <Shimane>, Yamachiku <Kumamoto>, Ikutōen <Okinawa>
Special Exhibitors: Keio University KMD x Nagoya Institute of Technology, PRAY for (ONE), Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.

Highlights of "real crafts" at the event
Craft exhibition "Doya" (どやっ): A comprehensive exhibition with a panoramic view of the current location of the craft, lined with selected gems from all over the world. Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide presents the one-of-a-kind masterpiece work "Blue Steel #1 Damascus Sakimaru Yanagiba - 450mm - Oni-suri Curve, Full Mirror Finish, Ebony Lacquered Handle" made to commemorate the independence of Satoshi Nakagawa, the youngest traditional craftsman in the history of Sakai blades.

Video Exhibition "Hands" (手): A large screen with a total width of 22 meters screens a video that can be said to be a "memory of the hand" (photography and production by Tatsuya Fujimoto/藤本達也)

Booths that integrate experiences, demonstrations, and sales: Each exhibitor will have their own yagura-style booth, welcoming visitors to a space that is full of production and narrative.

As an event full of festival atmosphere, live performances such as lion dances will appear on a daily basis