About Us

Welcome to Zahocho Knives Tokyo

I'm Fred, and this is my wife Akiko. Before this, I was a sushi chef. Knives were always the part of the job I cared about most. Japanese knives especially.

I started Zahocho in 2019, an online shop run from Tokyo, with Akiko by my side. We source directly from craftsmen across Japan: Sakai, Sanjo, Echizen, and others. Inventory is limited and rotates. Once something sells out, restocking can take several months or longer, if at all.

Every knife here is something I'd personally use, from entry level to collector pieces. They come from craftsmen who've been doing this for decades.

The name

Zahocho is a wordplay. In Japanese, "the" is pronounced "za," and "hocho" means knife. So, 'the knife'. We want to help you find the knife for you. Nothing deep and philosophical.

Thank you for supporting us.

— Fred & Akiko