Japanese knife identification
Photograph the mark, box the inscription, and check the evidence. Mei helps you find the brand, workshop or craftsperson named on your knife.
Explore
Start here
Keep the camera and blade still. Photograph the same inscription twice, moving a lamp from one side to the other. Box the whole engraving in each photo; avoid clipped glare.
Trace the kanji directly on the photograph with your finger, pen or mouse. Follow the engraved lines, including disconnected strokes. Your tracing stays on this device.
Add a photo to begin. No account needed.
Only the selected crops are sent to Mei’s internal reader. Full photos stay on your device; Mei does not save identification images. Private OCR stays on your device.
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Search reference engraving patterns on this device. Include both blade faces to compare their evidence. Similarity scores are experimental, not probabilities.
This checks contrast, clipped glare, and approximate alignment. It does not reconstruct a 3D surface.
Save a known maker for the selected photo. Exact-photo recall is separate from OCR and does not authenticate a knife. The saved fingerprint and label stay in this browser; no photo is stored or uploaded.
Labels remain owner submissions until reviewed. Export a labeled reference with your tracing for a future training review; no automatic training occurs.
To search altered copies and similar engraving shapes, also enroll a visual reference. Multiple references per maker are supported. Box an emblem separately and enroll it under the identity you have checked.
The engraving is the starting point
Look for the identity behind the lettering, the chisel strokes, and the emblem. Upload a photo above and box the complete engraving, then choose how to examine it.
Scores rank candidates; they are not calibrated probabilities of correct identification. Results appear below. Compare the suggested identity with the actual engraving; worn strokes, glare and unfamiliar marks can remain unresolved.
Best result · Fill the frame, turn off direct flash, and let light rake across the engraving from the side.
Full photo stays on this deviceRecognition results
Compare the reading with the actual strokes. A mark can name a brand, smith or sharpener; the result tells you which. Difficult calligraphy and worn marks may need a source comparison or another photograph.
Compare these original crops with the reading and source. Archive lettering below is a typeset reference.
Compared with the full maker engraving casefile.
Compare a candidate, add what you know, or take the case to the forum.
Source-backed reference
A practical index of frequently encountered Japanese kitchen-knife inscriptions. Every record separates the visible engraving from the entity it actually names, grades the evidence, and links matching examples from 0 specialist retailers. Add a known knife →
No reference records match that search.
Community casefile · Case 003
Help improve the reference archive by pairing a clear maker’s engraving with evidence of the knife’s known identity. Every contribution enters a private review queue; it never becomes a match automatically.
Your receipt includes a private code. You can withdraw pending or approved photos. This removes them from future reference lookups and deletes their stored photos; the withdrawn receipt is cleared within seven days.
Read with context
Knife identification is strongest when the inscription, region, construction, packaging, and purchase history agree. A convincing kanji match alone cannot prove who forged or sharpened a blade.
堺 means Sakai and 越前 means Echizen. They locate a tradition or production area; neither is a maker by itself.
登録 means registered, 作 means made by, and 御料理庖丁 simply means cooking knife. The distinctive name usually sits between them.
Sakai’s traditional system divides forging, sharpening, and handle fitting among specialist workshops. A branded knife can therefore have several makers behind it.
Field guide
One side may carry the brand; the reverse may name a smith, steel, production region, or line. Include the whole blade in one photo, then add a close, square-on detail of each inscription.
Evidence desk
Explore forging, heat treatment, grinding, sharpening and the people behind Japanese kitchen knives. These regional links lead to knife workshops, manufacturers and dedicated craft records. Each description tells you what you can learn before you open the source.
Follow the specialist stages of a forged knife: forging the blade, grinding and sharpening it, then fitting the handle.
Takahashikusu · knife manufacturing steps Maker · English ↗ Sakai cutlery · craft and division of labor Official craft record · English ↗Meet the workshops behind Echizen forged blades and connect individual makers with this regional craft tradition.
Takefu Knife Village · workshop directory Workshop association · Japanese / English ↗ Echizen uchihamono · forged-blade craft Official craft record · Japanese ↗Explore Hinoura’s blacksmithing workshop and Tojiro’s knife atelier and factory for two views of regional knife production.
Hinoura Hamono · the smith’s approach Knife workshop · English ↗ Tojiro Open Factory · knife production Manufacturer · English ↗Trace KAI’s kitchen-knife process through heat treatment, grinding, handle assembly and edging; compare Suncraft’s Seki-made knife ranges.
KAI · kitchen-knife manufacturing process Manufacturer · English ↗ Suncraft · knives made in Seki Manufacturer catalog · English ↗Read about bonding soft iron and edge steel in Tokyo hand-forged blades, alongside Sugimoto’s approach to traditional knife craftsmanship.
Tokyo uchihamono · hand-forged blades Regional craft program · English ↗ Sugimoto · traditional knife crafting Knife maker · English ↗Aritsugu documents its roots in swordsmithing and its knife tradition, with practical videos on whetstone sharpening and care.
Kyoto Aritsugu · craft history Knife house · Japanese ↗ Aritsugu · knife sharpening and care Knife house · Japanese / English video options ↗Discover a forged-blade tradition spanning kitchen knives and working tools, then explore a local cutlery manufacturer.
Tosa uchihamono · forged blades Traditional craft association · English ↗ Hokiyama Cutlery · Tosa knife production Manufacturer · Japanese / English ↗Reading the engraving: the Kitchen Knife Forums kanji lexicon ↗ adds community interpretations. The archive also uses 0 retail catalog correlations for labeled product-photo comparisons; maker pages and craft records provide the primary evidence.