Yukinori Oda

Yukinori Oda (小田幸徳) is a retired Sakai sharpener (研師). The Sakai association's register divides craftsmen into forging and sharpening and lists Oda among its sharpeners. He worked in-house, sharpening inside Sakai Takayuki's factory. He is no longer active: he retired, came back to work, and is now retired for good.

Kasumi (霞研ぎ, from the word for mist or haze) is a sharpening finish for clad single-bevel blades. The Sakai Uchihamono Traditional Craftsmen's Association (堺打刃物伝統工芸士会) lists kasumi as Oda's recognized specialty technique, and it is the work James saw from him.

The Sakai Uchihamono Traditional Craftsmen's Association (堺打刃物伝統工芸士会) records that he was certified a Traditional Craftsman (伝統工芸士) in 1987 in the sharpening division, awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Silver Rays (瑞宝単光章) in 2007, and named a Sakai City Monozukuri Meister (堺市ものづくりマイスター). He also served as head of a sharpeners' association.

Oda was the sharpeners' side of the Sakai division of labour: he sharpened in-house inside the Sakai Takayuki factory. He is now retired, and the sharpening on the current Doi-forged Sakai Takayuki top lines belongs to Mitsuo Yamatsuka (山塚光雄) and others now.

James met Oda at the Aoki Hamono factory in 2014, and we hold photographs of him from that visit. His work is no longer in our range, so this is a profile of a retired Sakai sharpener rather than a page for active stock.