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Where to buy knives in Kyoto, and what to know first

Brief answer

To buy knives in Kyoto, start at Nishiki Market, where Aritsugu has sold knives, pots and utensils since 1560, and avoid Wednesdays when many shops close.

The tax-free refund

  • Tax-free needs JPY 5,000 or more per day at the same store5
  • You pay the full price and customs refunds the tax later4
  • Visit the terminal before you check baggage13

Side-by-side: 4 options

Compare knife classes against buying

Choose how many are coming and see the from price for each way to make a blade.

2 people
  1. Forging classAbout 3 hours · for one person from $152

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  2. Gion workshop1 hour · for one person from $61

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  3. Handle fitting2 hours · for one person from $159

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  4. Finishing workshop1 hour · for one person from $68

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Starting prices as on the booking platform, converted at the ECB reference rate. You see the exact price at booking.

Where to buy knives in Kyoto starts at Nishiki Market and an old swordsmith's shop. Here is how to shop there, claim the tax-free refund, engrave a name, carry the blade home and decide whether to forge your own.

Editorial team, knifemakingkyoto.com · Updated November 6, 2026 · 8 min reading time

Basics

  • WhereNishiki Market is a shopping street of individual shops, and Aritsugu there sells knives, pots and utensils.1,2
  • Closing dayThe market has no closing day as a whole, and many shops close on Wednesdays.3
  • Tax-freeThe refund method applies from November 1, 2026, with a minimum of JPY 5,000 per day at the same store.4,5
  • Flying homeBlades are barred from the cabin on ANA, so a knife goes in the hold bag.6,7
  • Make your ownForging a knife in Kyoto starts from $152, and a 1-hour workshop from $61.

Nishiki Market, Kyoto's kitchen street

A first answer to where to buy knives in Kyoto is Nishiki Market, and the market's own history shows why it suits a kitchen purchase. Its official account dates the market to 1615, when the shogunate recognized fish wholesalers in Kyoto.8 Nishiki Koji, the street itself, runs about 390 meters from east to west, 3.3 to 5 meters wide, with stores on both sides.1 The Kyoto City Tourism Association describes the path as 400 meters from Teramachi to Takakura, so expect a figure near that either way.9

A roof helps with the Kyoto weather. The market's arcade roof, in red, yellow and green, lets the market be enjoyed even on rainy days.10 That matters when a trip to a forge or a temple is rained off and you want a dry place to look at knives. Kyoto's rain is heaviest in June, July and September on the NOAA station record for the city, so a covered street is a sensible plan B for a day when the forge or the temples are rained off and you still want to spend your afternoon on something useful.11,11,11

Shop by shop, the market is not a single business. Nishiki Market has no closing day as a whole, because each shop sets its own, and many shops are closed on Wednesdays.3 The market's shop pages add that business hours and regular holidays may have changed, so check the shop's own page before you walk across town.12 If a knife is your main purchase, treat Wednesday as a day to avoid, and try a weekday morning for room to browse.

Three ways to a knife

A market shop, a maker's counter or your own class

RouteWhat you getWhat to watchSource
Nishiki Market shopKnives, pots and utensils by skilled craftspeople2Many shops close on Wednesdays3Nishiki Market
Maker's own counterEngraving on purchased products, some excluded18Duty free from 5,000 yen19Masamoto Sohonten
Forging classA knife of about 13 to 15 cm you make yourselfFrom $152Our listing
1-hour workshopShape, assemble, sharpen and polishFrom $61Gion listing

Shop rows come from the shops' own pages and the Nishiki Market listing; class rows are from prices from each listing.2

Aritsugu and the swordsmith's tradition

A knife shop that the market's own listing highlights is Aritsugu. The market's listing says the shop's history dates to 1560, when it began as the Swordsmith Fujiwara Aritsugu, and that it sells knives, pots and cooking utensils made by hand by skilled craftspeople.2 It adds that Aritsugu serves top Kyoto chefs and ordinary households alike.2 The sword connection is not decoration. It is the same lineage that Japan's tourism board describes when it calls cutlery a direct descendant of sword making.15

The shop says it aims for long-lasting use of its knives through repairs such as sharpening.16 That is useful to a buyer for a practical reason: a knife bought in Kyoto can come back to Kyoto for a fresh edge, and a shop that talks about repairs expects to see its knives again. The listing places Aritsugu west of Gokomachi-dori on Nishikikoji-dori in Nakagyo-ku, with Wednesday as its regular holiday.17

Do not expect a list of shelf prices here. The pages used for this guide give no knife prices for Aritsugu, and a price we cannot source would be a guess. Go in with a budget, ask the staff to explain the steel and the care of each blade, and compare what you hear with the makers' own advice on this site. A shop that explains its knives patiently is one that expects you to look after them.

The refund trail

From the till to the airport terminal

  1. At the shop

    Check it is tax-free

    Purchases must total JPY 5,000 or more before tax per day at the same store.5

  2. At the till

    Pay the full price

    Since November 1, 2026 you pay the tax-inclusive price.4

  3. On the trip

    Keep the goods and receipts

    Bring your passport and every item you bought with you.13

  4. Within 90 days

    Reach the terminal

    Present your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal on departure.14

  5. Before check-in

    Bring the knife along

    You must have the goods with you, so do the terminal before you check baggage.13

  6. After

    The refund follows

    An amount equal to the consumption tax is refunded after export is confirmed.4

Manners at the market, and at any small shop

Nishiki Market asks visitors not to walk while eating, and to enjoy food in front of the store where it was bought or inside it.20 The Kyoto City Tourism Association repeats the point and calls eating at the store of purchase, or taking the food home, one of the cardinal rules of the market.21 This applies to snacks rather than knives, but a bag of food in one hand and a sharp new knife in the other is a poor combination on a narrow, busy street.

Japan's national tourism organization says most shops will not haggle about prices, so expect to pay the marked price, although in smaller private shops you may occasionally find some room.22 With knives that is not a place to push. With knives, the pleasant way to save money is to ask about a simpler model, not to ask for a discount on the knife you want, since a firm price is the usual rule in these shops.

The same source says most shops in tourist areas offer a free or reasonably priced gift-wrapping service.23 If a knife is a present, say so at the counter. Ask also whether the shop can pack the knife for flight, with a sheath or a box, because you will need it protected in a hold bag. A shop in a tourist street gets this question often and can usually handle it quickly, so the question costs you nothing and saves you a scramble at the airport later in your trip.

A short chooser

Buy, make or both

Start with what the knife is for: a gift, a daily tool or a memory of the trip.

  • If I want a daily tool from a respected shop

    A Nishiki Market shop

    Aritsugu serves top Kyoto chefs and ordinary households alike.2

  • If I want a gift with a name on it

    Ask about engraving

    A maker such as Masamoto Sohonten engraves names, with some exceptions.18

  • If I want to make something with my hands

    Book the forging class

    It runs about 3 hours and you keep the finished knife.

  • If I have an hour between sights

    The Gion workshop

    It lasts 1 hour and covers shaping and polishing.

  • If I am flying home tonight

    Buy early, claim the refund before check-in

    The terminal needs the goods in your hands, so it cannot follow check-in.13

Where a knife can come from

Market, maker or your own hands

Buy

A Nishiki Market shop

Old swordsmith lineage

  • AritsuguDates to 1560
  • ClosingMany shops close Wednesday
  • ServiceRepairs such as sharpening
See this route

Make

A Kyoto workshop

Shape and polish in 1 hour

  • Length1 hour
  • GroupUp to 10
  • CancelFree until 24 hours before
See this route

Forge

The forging class

Our listing

  • LengthAbout 3 hours
  • KnifeAbout 13 to 15 cm
  • CancelFree until 24 hours before
See this route

What a good Japanese knife costs

A common question is how much a good Japanese knife costs, and the honest answer is that it depends on the steel, the maker and the shop. This guide has no verified shelf price for a Kyoto shop, so it gives none. What the sources do supply is the shape of the purchase. Masamoto Sohonten, another knife maker, offers engraving and duty free sales, and its duty free minimum is 5,000 yen, the same level as the national scheme.19,5

A different way to price a good knife is to price making one. The forging class we link to starts from $152, and you take home a finished knife of about 13 to 15 cm. A 1-hour workshop in Gion starts from $61 and covers shaping, assembling, sharpening and polishing. These are class fees, not shop prices, so compare them with a shop's figure only as a guide to what an hour or an afternoon is worth.

Remember that cost does not end at the till. A knife needs a stone, a board and a place to live, and good care pays back the price over the years.33 Shun says consistent maintenance prevents corrosion, chipping and premature wear, and that a good Japanese knife can then perform reliably for many years.34 Budget a little for a stone or a class, and the total looks more like an investment than an impulse.

Map

Where Japan makes its knives, from Kyoto outwards

Open the Kyoto panel for the market and the forge, the central panel for Sakai, Echizen and Seki, and the last two for Sanjo and Tosa.

Browse 7 stops

Where Japan makes its knives, from Kyoto outwards

Pick a route and tap a pin or a stop: you get its note and a Google Maps link.

Map of Kyoto with the Nishiki Market knife shops and the Yase workshop area

  1. Aritsugu, a knife shop dating back to 1560, stands west of Gokomachi-dori on Nishikikoji-dori.

    Google Maps

  2. The Kyoto listing puts its meeting place a one-minute walk from the Yase-Hieizan exit of the Eizan Electric Railway.

    Google Maps

Map data by © OpenStreetMap contributors

The tax-free refund, step by step

Tourists can reclaim consumption tax on knives, but the system changed on November 1, 2026. The Japan Tourism Agency says that for purchases made on or after November 1, 2026, Japan moved to a refund method: you pay the tax-inclusive price at the shop, and an amount equal to the consumption tax is refunded once customs confirms at departure that the goods are leaving the country.4 Older advice that you pay the tax-free price at the till no longer applies to new purchases.

The rules have limits. Purchases must total JPY 5,000 or more before tax per day at the same store.5 Customs confirmation must be done within 90 days from the purchase date, by presenting your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal at the airport or seaport.14 Keep your passport and receipts with you when you shop, and ask the shop whether it is a tax-free shop before you queue.

The detail that catches knife buyers is the order of events. The agency says you must have all purchased tax-free goods in your possession when you present your passport at the terminal, so the procedure cannot be completed after your baggage is checked in.13 That is awkward for a blade you want in the hold. Plan to visit the terminal first with the knife in your hands, then walk to check-in and pack it with the rest of the luggage.

Video

One of the oldest knife shops in Japan

Zenknife on YouTube · The video waits until you tap play to load.

We strive to provide our customers with long-lasting use of our knives through repairs such as sharpening.
Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site)16

Before you shop

A Kyoto knife shopping checklist

Plan3

  • Avoid Wednesday, when many Nishiki shops close3
  • Check hours on the shop's own page12
  • Head for Nishikikoji-dori, west of Gokomachi-dori, for Aritsugu17

At the counter3

  • Ask about engraving before you pay18
  • Ask if the shop is tax-free and spend JPY 5,000 or more5
  • Ask about gift wrapping and flight packing23

On the way home3

  • Keep passport and receipts for the airport terminal14
  • Do tax-free confirmation before you check your baggage13
  • Pack the knife sheathed in the hold bag6,32

Buying a knife or making one

People often ask whether it is true that Japanese knives are worth it. The makers' answer is yes, if you maintain them. Masamoto Sohonten says its knives of high grade carbon steel are easy to sharpen and can be used for many years when maintained and sharpened properly.33 Shun says proper care lets a good Japanese knife perform reliably for many years.34 Both are statements about their own knives, so read them as makers' claims, not as independent tests.

Worth also depends on who will use the knife. Care decides the outcome, and Shun, for one, recommends against the dishwasher.35 A visitor who wants a souvenir that is also a tool will probably be happy with a modest, well-made knife. If you want to understand your knife better, a class turns the same budget into knowledge, and the knife you make is a souvenir with a story attached to it.

If you cannot decide, split the choice. Buy a knife at Nishiki or another shop you trust, and spend an afternoon making a small one yourself. The shop knife teaches you what a finished blade should feel like, while the class knife teaches you what went into it. The next pages of this guide, on sharpening and storage, will then make more sense, and both knives will last longer for it.

Engraving, gifts and getting the knife home

Many shops will mark a knife with your name. Masamoto Sohonten engraves a name in Kanji or Katakana on purchased products, though not on every product, so ask before you pay.18 In the Kyoto classes, the handle-fitting session lets you ask in advance for engraved letters, and a Tokyo and Osaka workshop engraves a sakura leaf or your name in Japanese on the handle. An engraved knife makes a personal gift, so plan the lettering before you reach the counter.

Getting the knife home is the last step. ANA bars all blades from the cabin, naming knives among them, and states that carrying one on board violates the Civil Aeronautics Act, which can mean up to 2 years in prison.6,36 Kansai International Airport asks passengers to check in knives at the counter as checked baggage, and warns that a knife found at screening will have to be surrendered.7,37

The US Transportation Security Administration asks that sharp objects in checked bags be sheathed or securely wrapped.32 A workshop listing also asks guests to put the supplied knife box in the checked luggage, or to have the knife shipped. Put those together and the plan is simple: tax-free confirmation first, sheath or box next, hold bag last. Keep the receipt with the passport, and the knife in the hold.

FAQ

Fast answers to common questions.

Where is the best place to buy a Japanese knife in Kyoto?
Nishiki Market is the usual starting point.

Its Aritsugu shop sells knives, pots and utensils made by hand, and traces its history to 1560.2

Which day should I avoid in Nishiki Market?
Wednesday, when many shops close.

The market has no closing day as a whole, so each shop sets its own.3

Can I get a tax refund on a knife in Japan?
Yes, from JPY 5,000 per day at the same store.

From November 1, 2026 you pay the full price and the tax is refunded after customs confirms export.5,4

How long do I have to claim the refund?
Within 90 days of the purchase.

You present your passport at a tax-free procedure terminal on departure.14

Can I carry a Japanese knife in my cabin bag?
No, pack it in the hold bag.

ANA bars all blades from the cabin, and Kansai International Airport asks passengers to check in knives.6,7

Can the shop engrave my name?
Some shops do, so ask before you pay.

Masamoto Sohonten engraves names in Kanji or Katakana on purchased products, though not on all products.18

Is it better to make a knife than buy one?
It depends on whether you want a tool or a story.

A class starts from $61, while the forging class we list starts from $152.

Sources

  1. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site) · About Nishiki Market ↩
  2. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site) · Aritsugu (Nishiki Market shop listing) ↩
  3. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site) · FAQ ↩
  4. Japan Tourism Agency, MLIT (Japan Tax-free Shop official site) · Travelers page: Tax-Free Shopping System, Refund Method ↩
  5. Japan Tourism Agency, MLIT (Japan Tax-free Shop official site) · Travelers page: Tax-Free Shopping System, Refund Method ↩
  6. ANA (All Nippon Airways, official site) · Items not permitted to be checked in or carried on board ↩
  7. Kansai Airports (Kansai International Airport official site) · Carry-on restrictions ↩
  8. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site) · About Nishiki Market ↩
  9. Kyoto City Tourism Association · Kyoto Nishiki Food Market ↩
  10. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site) · About Nishiki Market ↩
  11. NOAA · Global Summary of the Month, Station Kyoto (NOAA GHCN JA000047759), 1971 to 2020 ↩
  12. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site) · Cooking gear shops ↩
  13. Japan Tourism Agency, MLIT (Japan Tax-free Shop official site) · Travelers page: Tax-Free Shopping System, Refund Method ↩
  14. Japan Tourism Agency, MLIT (Japan Tax-free Shop official site) · Travelers page: Tax-Free Shopping System, Refund Method ↩
  15. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) · How is a traditional samurai sword made? ↩
  16. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site) · Aritsugu (Nishiki Market shop listing) ↩
  17. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site) · Aritsugu (Nishiki Market shop listing) ↩
  18. Masamoto Sohonten (official site) · Masamoto Sohonten ↩
  19. Masamoto Sohonten (official site) · Masamoto Sohonten ↩
  20. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street Promotion Association (official site) · Cooking gear shops ↩
  21. Kyoto City Tourism Association · Kyoto Nishiki Food Market ↩
  22. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) · Japan Shopping Q&A ↩
  23. Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) · Japan Shopping Q&A ↩
  24. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street · Aritsugu (Nishiki Market shop listing)
  25. Kyoto Nishiki Market Shopping Street · Aritsugu (Nishiki Market shop listing)
  26. KOGEI JAPAN (Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square) · Sakai Forged Blades (Sakai Uchihamono)
  27. Takefu Knife Village · Tourist information
  28. Takefu Knife Village · Tourist information
  29. Visit Seki Official Guide · Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum
  30. KOGEI JAPAN (Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square) · Echigo Sanjo Forged Blades (Echigo Sanjo Uchihamono)
  31. KOGEI JAPAN (Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square) · Tosa Forged Blades (Tosa Uchihamono)
  32. Transportation Security Administration (US) · Knives (What can I bring?) ↩
  33. Masamoto Sohonten (official site) · Masamoto Sohonten ↩
  34. Shun Cutlery (Kai USA, official site) · Caring for Your Japanese Knives: Storage, Cleaning and Maintenance ↩
  35. Shun Cutlery (Kai USA, official site) · Shun knives FAQ ↩
  36. ANA (All Nippon Airways, official site) · Items not permitted to be checked in or carried on board ↩
  37. Kansai Airports (Kansai International Airport official site) · Carry-on restrictions ↩

Further reading

More on Japanese knives and Kyoto blades

GuideClasses comparedGuideHow a knife is madeGuideKnife typesGuideKnife steel

One last reminder

Keep your place at the forge.

Hold a date now and pay afterward if you wish. You can cancel without a fee until 24 hours before the class begins.

Check open dates