Discover traditional crafts of knife-making, washi paper and tansu cabinetryat Echizen City in Fukui.

Echizen City, in Fukui Prefecture, is home to some of Japan’ s most famous 　 crafts. As well as seeing the famous temples and shrines, visit Echizen to

discover and learn about the traditional crafts of knife-making, Washi paper and tansu cabinetry.

Echizen knives

Based in Takefu Knife Village, the skilled work of Echizen’ s knife makers is world-renowned. Echizen knives, or uchihamono, are held in high regard and known for their quality and precision, forged through precision craftsmanship.

Echizen uchihamono was born approximately 700 years ago, when a Fuchu-bound (now Echizen City) artisan from Kyoto began making sickles for local farmers along the way, and �ourished as trade routes opened up during the Edo Period. At Takefu Knife Village, visitors who make a reservation can try their hand at forging their own Echizen knife. Here the local experts can teach you the process and supervise you through the skilled process from start to �nish. Takefu Knife Village sells a number of high quality products.

Many knife forging legends are located in this area, from Shimizu Uchihamono (famed for forging 1.5m tuna-cutting knives, magurogiri) to the Takamura knife factory (whose knives are used by Noma in Copenhagen as well as many Michelin-star chefs).

Takefu Knife Village is open year round (9am-5pm) and is about 15 minutes by car/taxi from JR Takefu Station:

Takefu Knife Village22-91 Yokawa-cho, Echizen-shi, FukuiTel: +81-778-27-7120Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (daily) Admission: Free

At the Hamono no Sato of the Echizen Uchihamono Kaikan, visitors can buy numerous knife products, as well as place orders via their online store:

http://www.echizenuchihamono.com/index.html

Experience Echizen City

Washi paper

Designated a traditional craft in 1976, the Japanese paper ‘washi’ has been produced in Echizen city for 1500 years. Learn about washi’ s history by visiting Echizen’ s Paper & Culture Museum where you can discover the origins of the craft and learn how generations of legends passed on their skilled techniques. Then visit the Udatsu Paper & Craft Museum where you can witness skilled experts at work at the heart of the Paper Village, Washi no Sato. Visit the Papyrus Kan to experience making traditional paper yourself, before

wandering around the wider Goka area to get a feel for the small paper making businesses operating in this beautiful valley surrounded by green mountains.

With artists from Taikan Yokoyama to Pablo Picasso using techniques originating in the washi production process, Echizen is well recognised as the true origin of traditional paper manufacturing and the centre of washi paper production in Japan. Ingredients including paper mulberry, ganpi, bush and hemp are used throughout the production process.

WASHI

● LocationLocated in the heart of Fukui along Japan’ s northern coast, Echizen was born in 2005 as a result of the merger between Takefu city and Imadate area. The city is surrounded by rivers and mountains that help set Echizen apart as a rural paradise with a rich, verdant surrounding providing the foundations for local industry.

● Historical/economical overviewThe city has historically played a central role in the Hokuriku region, both culturally and economically, and features a wide range of sites of historical and cultural importance, including the famous Okafuto Shrine. Well-known both throughout Japan and overseas, Echizen’ s tradit ional craft industries help promote both Japanese traditional culture and the local expertise of Echizen’ s sk i l led art isans . From the production of Echizen washi paper, to uchihamono knives to sashimono furniture and tansu, Echizen’ s manufactur ing

Echizen City

footprint also extends to electronics and apparel, making it a key industrial base in the Chūbu region.

● How to get thereEchizen can be reached by domestic plane via Komatsu Airport in the north, which connects to Takefu Station in Echizen which takes about 1 hour. Internationally, if coming through Kansai Airport in Osaka, the Haruka Limited Express train to Shin-Osaka, then the Thunderbird or Raicho service, can take you to Fukui in about 3 and a half hours. The journey is about 1 hour 40 minutes from Osaka, or just over 1 hour from Kyoto, and the JR Pass is valid on all these routes, as well as the Shirasagi Limited Express and Tokaido Shinkansen. Shirasagi

To get to Echizen by train, visitors arrive at Takefu Station along the JR Hokuriku Line, which connects Toyama in the north to Maibara (Shiga) in the south. As well as the Haruka Limited Express, Thunderbird and Raicho services (which connected Kyoto and Osaka), the Shirasagi Limited Express from

Echizen City Tourism Associationhttp://welcome-echizenshi.com/

Nagoya reaches Takefu Station via Maibara, w h i c h i s a l s o s e r v e d b y t h e T o k a i d o Shinkansen. Kyoto and Osaka can also be reached via connecting trains at Tsuruga Station on the Kosei Line. The JR Pass serves all these routes.

Tansu cabinetryEchizen city is also famous for its tansu furniture, which are essentially mobile storage cabinets with multiple drawers, often with intricate iron plating and distinct designs. Tansuyas (tansu craftsmen) would utilise both hard and softwoods to fashion these amazing cabinets, utilizing a combination of elm, chestnut, pine, cedar, Paulownia and Hinoki cypress.

Because of Echizen’ s establishment in the knife-making culture, the iron platings used on the cabinets are prepared using the same skills and technologies as the knives, making them �rm and durable. The designs on the platings are typically �owers such as chrysanthemum and lotus.

Tansu were predominantly used for mobile storage, not permanent �xtures, in keeping with the minimalist aesthetic typical of Japanese homes. With iron handles and later wooden wheels, tansu could be moved quickly and at short notice. Their usage ranged from home storage to business related bookkeeping, where they became a symbol of wealth and status.