Craftsman
花木信夫
Nobuo Hanaki
The story
Sukenari (株式会社スケナリ) is a kitchen-knife maker in Fuchu, Toyama City, Toyama, Japan, and its registered house mark is 佑成. The company's own commerce disclosure names Nobuo Hanaki (花木信夫) as its 運営統括責任者, the person who runs the operation.
Sukenari dates its founding to 1933, as the Toyama Chamber of Commerce's industrial-tourism feature records, and was founded by Toukichi Hanaki (花木藤吉). Its main factory in Toyama makes all of its knives.
We have dealt with Sukenari since April 2016. On that first visit Hanaki, then the company's president, hosted us himself: he showed us the forging and joined us for dinner at Shikisai, a restaurant in Toyama. He is also a blacksmith.
We stock Sukenari, and its current lines are on the Sukenari maker page.
The Knives & Stones take
From the first meeting, I make sure to visit Sukenari every year, just as Hanaki-san said: 'Partners need to see each other often'.
— James Zhang, Knives and Stones
In photographs
From James's April 2016 visit to Sukenari in Toyama, where Hanaki-san himself demonstrated the forging.
The relationship map 職人系譜
Masters, family, and the brands between them. Every line is a verified fact from our research. Tap a node to light up its connections and read its story.
Frequently asked questions
Which generation of Sukenari is Nobuo Hanaki?
Published by K&S Education Desk; staff review pending
