【Media Invitaion】Craftsmanship Recognized Worldwide —Tsubame Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture Honing Skills and Touching Hearts
2025.09.24
Press release
PDF ver.
【Press Event for Foreign Media】
Craftsmanship Recognized Worldwide—Tsubame Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture
Honing Skills and Touching Hearts 
Time and Date: 11:00–13:30, Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Venue: 3rd floor Event Space, Ginza Niigata Information Center,
THE NIIGATA
The Tsubame Sanjo area in Niigata Prefecture is recognized around the world for its craftsmanship. Techniques honed over the area’s long history have produced products beloved around the world such as kitchen knives, dishware, and tools. Niigata Prefecture will hold an event for foreign journalists to encounter this craftsmanship up close, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, at the Ginza Niigata Information Center THE NIIGATA (Chuo-ku, Tokyo). Experience the techniques and spirit of Tsubame Sanjo through live demonstrations and anecdotes by artisans.
■Tsubame Sanjo—Home to 600 Years of Craftsmanship
The Tsubame Sanjo area is located in central Niigata Prefecture, and is about two hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen. The area has a history of craftsmanship going back approximately 600 years, and a variety of techniques have been passed down to this day, such as metalworking. A wide range of world-class products are made there, such as kitchen knives, dishware, tools, and outdoor gear, and it is also popular as a manufacturing center for famous brands.
■Beyond Technique—Emotions and Philosophy
Tsubame Sanjo’s appeal does not end with manufacturing techniques. There is a warmth and philosophy in artisans pursuing innovation while maintaining tradition, and in the products they make while thinking of the people who will use them.
■Talks and Displays—The Techniques and Feelings of Artisans Before Your Eyes
The event will include talk sessions with renowned Tsubame Sanjo artisans as guests: Tsukasa Hinoura of Hinoura Hamono Koubou, making knives in the city of Sanjo, and Ritsu Yamada of Gyokusendo, carrying on the tradition of tsuiki copperware in the city of Tsubame. The MC will be Osami Takeda of MGNET, a planning, production, and direction company based out of the Tsubame Sanjo area, and he will introduce background information about the area as a whole, such as why it became a center for craftsmanship. Afterwards, along with the two guests, they will take tools and products in hand and provide demonstrations while discussing their passion for craftsmanship and how the products are made.
This is a valuable opportunity to experience the technique and soul of Tsubame Sanjo up close.
There will also be introductions about craftsmanship in Niigata Prefecture as a whole, such as the Niigata Kenoh Meister system, and of Tsubame Sanjo products. Participants will also be able to try cuisine by Bit, an Italian restaurant promoting Tsubame Sanjo through food, using cutlery made in Tsubame Sanjo.
Please register by email after checking the details below!
| Event Overview | |
| Date and Time | 11:00–13:30, Wednesday, October 22, 2025 (Registration opens at 10:45) |
| Venue |
3F Event Space, Ginza Niigata Information Center THE NIIGATA (5-6-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo) |
| Sponsor | Niigata Prefecture (Operation support: Foreign Press Center Japan) |
| Participation Fee | Free of charge (maximum of 16 participants) *Should the number of applicants exceed the capacity, we will notify you whether or not you may participate. |
| Interpretation | There will be consecutive English interpretation |
| Program |
*There will be consecutive English interpretation available at the venue. <Briefing/Talk Sessions> (65 min.) |
| How to Apply |
Please apply by email with the following information to [ sc@fpcjpn.or.jp ] (Deadline: 12:00 noon, Wednesday, October 15, 2025) ①Name of participant ③Mobile phone number |
| Contact Info | Contact: Megumi Ishida, Media Communication and Planning Division, Foreign Press Center Japan Tel: 03-3501-5251 E-mail: sc@fpcjpn.or.jp |
| Other | ・Please note that photos and videos of the event may be posted on the organizers' websites, social media, etc. ・Please also note that local journalists from Niigata may cover the event. ・We ask that copies of any reporting made based on the event (articles, videos, etc.) be submitted through Foreign Press Center Japan. |
[Venue]
Sanwa Suzuran Bldg., 5-6-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Tokyo Metro: 2 min. from Ginza Station Exit A2 or B5
JR: 8 min. from Yurakucho Station
(https://the-niigata.jp/store_info/#access)
[Lecturers]
Osami Takeda (CEO, MGNET)
In 2000, after graduating from a vocational school in his hometown of Niigata, he joined a major automobile manufacturer. In 2005, he joined the family business of Takeda Kanagata Seisakusho. Seeing an issue in the difference in perception between generations and from within and outside industries, he began working on promotion, product development, and sales based on the theme of “breaking away and giving back.”
In 2011, he established MGNET as a subsidiary. In addition to projects for the family business, he expanded to supporting companies, stimulating the local economy, and local education, working on social design in Tsubame Sanjo with a mission of developing a better environment.
Outside board member, geeks/Director, Tsukuru/Specially Appointed Professor, Yokohama College of Commerce/Part-time Lecturer, Kaishi Professional University/Director, Private Think Tank BEECL/Planning Committee Chair, 5th Tsubame Sanjo Factory Festival
Tsukasa Hinoura (Hinoura Hamono Koubou)
After working at a trading firm, he joined the family business of Hinoura Hamono Koubou, and was recognized as a Niigata Kenoh Meister in 2006 and a Master of Traditional Crafts in 2012. He also won the Niigata no Meiko award for expertise in 2012. Grand master of the Sanjo Blacksmith Group. He has spent countless hours researching steel, and the blades he makes which have been refined through scientific backing are durable, easy to sharpen, and easy to use. The technique, usability, and beauty of his blades have received praise from around the world.
Hinoura Hamono Koubou
A blacksmith with over one hundred years of history located in Sanjo, Niigata. Finding meaning in each strike and seeking new challenges while maintaining tradition, they have protected the soul of the artisan, which must not be lost even as the times change. Blades forged by hand by veteran artisans who understand fire and iron are both sharp and beautiful, and their kitchen knives and other products demonstrate the technique and spirit cultivated over the years.
Ritsu Yamada (Gyokusendo)
Born in Niigata Prefecture. After working at a department store, in 2010 he joined Gyokusendo, which has been making copperware for 200 years in the town of craftsmanship, Tsubame Sanjo. Through marketing and planning, he strove to pass on techniques for tsuiki copperware. For many years, he has been involved in organizing the Tsubame Sanjo Factory Festival, the largest factory tour event in the region, and actively participates in planning to promote craftsmanship’s culture and value. In 2019, he established Tsukuru Co. to promote industrial tourism, and in 2020 received a travel agency license and began holding craftsmanship tours around the Tsubame Sanjo region as a whole, expanding his activities to new fields.
Gyokusendo
Established in 1816. For 200 years, Gyokusendo has made tsuiki copperware. Starting with copperware for daily use (pots, medicine tins), they gradually added artistic elements, and in 1873 exhibited their products at the World’s Fair. Since then, they have won a number of awards at both domestic and international expositions. Tsuiki copperware is made by repeatedly hammering sheets of copper to form the desired shape. Gyokusendo creates a vibrant range of colors with its unique coloring technique.
Gyokusendo’s techniques were designated as an Intangible Cultural Property by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and Niigata Prefecture, and in 2010 Norio Tamagawa (second son of the 5th generation head of Gyokusendo) was designated as a Living National Treasure.
[Food]
THE NIIGATA Bit GINZA
An Italian restaurant based in Tsubame Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, an area known for its craftsmanship. We provide our customers with three exciting experiences: the breadth of Niigata's food, touching the soul of artisans, and genuine service, in order to promote Niigata to the world through food and drink.
<Menu (Tentative)>
・Salad, main dish (fish, meat), focaccia, soup, sweets
・Drinks
*Photo is for illustrative purposes only
