March 15, 2025

50 Years of Excellence in Knife Craftsmanship -50th Anniversary-

Nenohi was founded in March 1975 and celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025.

The company was born through the vision of former president Norio Sawada and his wife Noriko Sawada, who continues to be a pillar of support for the company to this day.

Norio, who had previously worked as a sales representative at a knife company in Tokyo, demonstrated remarkable talent by consistently achieving top sales results. Through his daily interactions with professional chefs, he developed a powerful conviction that they deserved better knives than what was currently available.
Realizing that his vision couldn't be fulfilled within the constraints of his corporate position, Norio made the bold decision to resign and establish his own business—the knife shop "Nenohi."

In its early days, Nenohi operated purely as a retail business, sourcing knives from wholesalers through connections from Norio's former workplace. During this era, particularly in the knife industry, there was no alternative to the wholesaler system, and direct purchasing from craftsmen was strictly forbidden. Throughout this period, Norio remained fixated on one critical challenge: quality. His passion for "delivering better knives," born during his corporate career, only intensified after striking out on his own.
While taking orders from chefs and placing them with wholesalers became his daily routine, a transformative encounter soon reshaped Nenohi's future—meeting Mr. Osakazu Ino, a master knife sharpener renowned for his exceptional craftsmanship. This fateful meeting came about through a customer complaint.
After selling a knife allegedly sharpened by Mr. Osakazu Ino and sourced from a wholesaler, Nenohi received a complaint that the knife wasn't cutting properly. They decided to send it back to the original craftsman for resharpening. After submitting the repair request to the wholesaler and waiting some time, Norio received an unexpected phone call directly from Mr. Osakazu Ino himself. During their conversation, Mr. Ino revealed a shocking truth: he had never supplied knives to the wholesaler Norio had been dealing with. This meant the wholesaler had been falsely attributing their products to the master sharpener—a deception exposed by Mr. Ino's personal intervention. Upon learning this, Norio immediately flew to Sakai that very day to personally apologize to Mr. Ino.
At that time, an unethical practice pervaded the industry where master craftsmen would create only samples, while mass-produced, inferior knives were distributed under their names. Mr. Ino found this practice deeply offensive. (Today, such unscrupulous wholesalers have been eliminated from the industry, leaving only honest operators.) 
Norio passionately shared his concerns about the knife industry's practices and articulated his vision for authentic craftsmanship, which profoundly resonated with Mr. Ino.
This led to a groundbreaking arrangement where Norio began directly handling knives produced by Mr. Ino, finally enabling him to deliver genuine mastercraft products to discerning chefs.
This relationship endured through the generations, transitioning to Mr. Osakazu Ino's relative, Mr. Chuichi Ino. Together, they established a system dedicated to creating superior knives for professional chefs—bringing Norio's vision to life.
Following this pivotal partnership, Nenohi intensified its pursuit of quality and innovation.

Their first major research and development project focused on creating "stainless Japanese knives." Traditional carbon steel Japanese knives offered exceptional sharpness but were prone to rusting and required meticulous maintenance. Conversely, stainless steel knives were durable but couldn't match carbon steel's cutting performance. To bridge this gap, Norio collaborated with Mr. Chuichi Ino to develop "sharp stainless Japanese knives." Current president Yusuke Sawada joined the development efforts during this period, culminating in the creation of the "Kaede" series, which continues to be cherished by chefs worldwide.
Nenohi's innovative spirit extended beyond Japanese knives to Western knife development. "NENOX," now Nenohi's flagship product line, emerged from Norio's revolutionary concept of incorporating knife handle designs into traditional Japanese knives.

Initially, the technical demands of structure, functionality, and blade steel specifications were so challenging that many knife manufacturers declined to participate in the project. After persistent negotiations, they finally secured a manufacturing partner, but the company abandoned the project midway, leaving thousands of partially completed knives in limbo. Facing financial crisis as development funds dwindled, current president Yusuke Sawada undertook the herculean task of hand-finishing all thousands of knives himself, ultimately giving birth to "Nenohi's Western knives."

This critical juncture might be considered the genesis of Nenohi's transformation into a manufacturing enterprise. The desperate struggle through these challenging circumstances ultimately catalyzed significant technological advancements that distinguish the company today.

Another ambitious goal—establishing a presence in Tsukiji Outer Market—was also realized despite the formidable barriers to entry. With support from numerous stakeholders, this dream materialized and substantially enhanced Nenohi's credibility among professional chefs.

Following Norio's passing, Yusuke, who assumed the presidency at a young age, further expanded on his father's foundation. He strategically pivoted from outsourced manufacturing to in-house production to pursue even greater quality control and innovation. Nenohi began sourcing and researching premium stainless steel materials from global suppliers and incorporated various technically challenging materials for NENOX handles. Through these innovations—possible only through their proprietary techniques—Nenohi's reputation transcended Japan's borders to achieve international recognition.

Today, Nenohi has evolved into a comprehensive knife manufacturer, mastering the entire process from research and development to planning, manufacturing, and sales.

The founding philosophy of "delivering exceptional knives" and the uncompromising commitment to "never releasing a single substandard product" remain Nenohi's core values even after five decades. Noriko, who has supported Nenohi since its inception, describes the company's current global standing among elite chefs as "dreamlike." The consistent stream of orders—once unimaginable—stands as testament to their unwavering dedication to excellence. The business, which operated steadily as a family enterprise for decades, has recently achieved even greater heights with the addition of talented young team members.

As we commemorate our 50th anniversary, we are profoundly reminded that creating knives cherished by our customers constitutes Nenohi's fundamental purpose. We pledge to continue pushing boundaries and pursuing new heights of craftsmanship, guided by our founding philosophy of "delivering exceptional knives." We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who has supported Nenohi throughout these five decades.