Creating Culture: Volume Two

Hello, everyone.

My name is Ryo Tanaka, and I am the third generation president of Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide.

In this column, let us discuss more about traditional kitchen knives themselves.

At the same time though, we can also look at the keyword "creating culture" which I mentioned in my first column.

First, we have an important question to ask ourselves: "Why exactly do we provide knives to people?"

We have talked about this internally a great deal, and involved our staff at all levels.

Our answer, and thus our aspiration was this: "Create culture."

I see culture as a sort of ruleset, helping to determine how one acts and the values associated with those acts.

I believe that the more unique cultures there are, the more culturally rich both us and the world can be (or potentially be,) especially when combined with more opportunities to engage with those cultures.

Rulesets and patterns mutually influence and interact with objects and places.

For example, our own culture's fondness for dashi is likely related to the fact that we are surrounded by the sea, where fish and seaweed are abundant.

Japanese cuisine itself was recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2013.

In 2020, Japan had the highest number of Michelin stars per capita in the world.

Amongst the many unique categories of culture, one that is very accepted worldwide is the culture of foodways.

This now worldwide culture is accepted and enhanced by our customers who experience the culture by making it.

This is then supplemented by utensil and tool culture itself, which allows us to bring out the best of the ingredients of materials we have.

Since our own founding in 1953, we have sharpened hundred of thousands of knives and sent them to the forefront of the food industry—both in Japan and the world beyond its borders.

We have not just delivered those knives alone, but also given the culture of sharpness and kireaji to people, as well as the process of creating the knives themselves.

Ichimonji has also been a key element of the identity of Doguyasuji too, where our main store is located.

We feel these particular cultural particles are always worth reviewing and reexamining.

In contrast, is it enough for us to simply promote this culture we are proud of, which has been cultivated by our predecessors, and convert that into money?

In my next column, I would like to talk about the concept of "consumable culture."

Ryo Tanaka - 3rd Generation President
Sakai Ichimonji Mitsuhide