Sanjo Industry

  As a tool, the chisel is one of the first divised tools in the carpentry industry. Stone Age chisels are also said to have been excavated to support this theory.

  In Sanjo, there are various chisel manufacturers and each manufacturer follows their own individual traditional manual technique to form their own unique chisel. Around 1882, from the town of Yoita, Niigata, master craftsman Shoji Kawauchi moved to Sanjo, and taught many of his new pupils the craftsmenship of chisel making. Following Kawauchi, another Yoita craftsman moved to Sanjo. Genshiro Hoshino brought over a different style of chisel forging and this style soon spread through out Sanjo. From this time onwards, traditional chisel making techniques were passed down from instructor to pupil.

  In 1949, many chisel makers left the Chisel, Plane & Sickle association and established their own chisel makers association, where Hikoji Takagi was the first chairman. In 1956, Yuichi Yamada expressed how science should also play a important role in the chisel making process, since much of their tradition and practices were based on technical intuition. Kosuke Iwasaki had much understanding in metallurgy, smelting and swordsmithing and he guided Sanjo with the instruction and re-education with forging steel techaniques from the very beginning. With this educational experience, the quality of chisels increased and the name of the Chisel association changed their name to the Sanjo Chisel Research Association. For about a decade, associates met once a month to share their own research in thermal treatment, edge treatment, and microscopic evaluation. The result was the formation of even sharper products.

  As a result of sharing traditional techniques and new scientific understandings, Sanjo chisels became highly recognized throughout various regions as very sharp, durable, and very easy to use.