All activities / Craft Skills (Bladesmithing, Pottery, Glass) / Seki
Craft Skills (Bladesmithing, Pottery, Glass) in SekiJP
A city in central Gifu Prefecture with over 800 years of sword and knife-making history — one of the world's three great cutlery centres alongside Solingen and Sheffield. Seki today produces both high-performance kitchen knives and traditional katana, with the Seki Hamono Museum and working forge experiences available for visitors.
Why here
Seki has made blades for 800 years — swords for the samurai class, and today knives that compete with anything made in Solingen or Sheffield. One of the world's top three cutlery-producing centres by output, Seki is also genuinely accessible to visitors: Seki Terrace has a walk-in hammering experience, Seki City's tourism infrastructure is well developed for an industrial city, and private forge sessions with master swordsmiths — including full forging, shaping, and handle-making — can be arranged in advance. The craft here is not a museum exhibit; 100-year-old families still operate working forges.
Best months
Workshops are indoor and run year-round. The city's autumn Hamono Festival (October) draws visitors to open forge demonstrations and is the peak time for craft tourism. Spring brings pleasant temperatures and easier logistics without the festival crowds.
Getting there & around
Fly into Nagoya (NGO), then take the Meitetsu line towards Seki (approximately 90 minutes total). Seki City has its own station; the Hamono Museum and Seki Terrace are a short walk or taxi ride. English is limited outside tourist facilities — the Seki City tourism office (visitseki.jp) provides English information and can help arrange private forge sessions.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (2)
Kanemasa Bladesmithing
SchoolA private bladesmithing workshop offering hands-on knife forging sessions with a master swordsmith — covering the full process from raw steel through forging, grinding, heat treatment, and handle assembly. Sessions are conducted in a working forge and run in English; advance reservations required. One of the few places in Japan where a visitor can complete a full forging session under expert instruction rather than a brief demonstration.
Seki City Hamono Museum
SchoolThe city's main showcase for 800 years of Seki blade tradition, with exhibits on katana making, modern cutlery production, and the metallurgical processes behind Japanese steel. Seki Terrace, the museum's contemporary craft hub, has a walk-in Hamono Workshop where visitors can try basic sharpening and knife-making techniques without a reservation. The museum also hosts more intensive forge demonstrations and connects visitors to working smiths for private sessions.