When Norio Sawada established Nenohi in 1975, he aspired to create Japanese knives that would be appreciated by the world. Current president and owner of Nenohi, Yusuke Sawada, was born and raised around kitchen knives in Sakai, Japan, a city known for its knife craftsmanship. He learned the traditional techniques of knife forging and sharpening while he was still a student, in hopes of one day becoming a craftsman. Although, he was not able to attain his dream, he used the skills and knowledge he gained from this training to constantly improve the Nenohi company.