An autumn festival where you can buy, see, and touch Seki’s blacksmithing culture
Cutlery Festival
The 2026 edition of Cutlery Festival has ended.
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Dates
- 2026/10/10 〜 2026/10/11Ended
- Season / frequency
- Every year, on the Saturday and Sunday before Sports Day in October / Every year
- Location
- Honmachi-dori, the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum, Sekiterasu, Apise Seki, and other venues
- Area
- Gifu Prefecture・Seki City(From Tokyo: approx. 2 h–2 h 30 min · bullet train + connecting train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Wishes behind the festival
- Participation / viewing
- Open to public participation / spectators welcome
- Participation fee
- Free
- Age restrictions
- Children aged 2 or younger who can watch while seated on an accompanying adult’s lap or being held may enter without registering for the traditional Japanese sword forging demonstration. No other age requirements are specified.
- Required number of participants
- For the traditional Japanese sword forging demonstration, each application may include up to 4 people, including the applicant.
- Last updated
- 2026/10/19
The Seki Cutlery Festival takes place on Honmachi Street and at local swordsmithing facilities, featuring cutlery sales, sword forging, and demonstrations of polishing techniques.
About Cutlery Festival
The Cutlery Festival is a local event centered on blades, held in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, which is known as a city of blades.
The festival honors the legacy of swordsmith Motomitsu and is held to pray for the prosperity of this city of blades.
Centered on Honmachi-dori, events throughout the city offer opportunities to experience Seki City’s industry and culture, including cutlery sales, forging, and polishing.
Source: 刃物まつり | 関市役所公式ホームページ
Festival highlights
Around 40 cutlery companies set up stalls in the Honmachi-dori shopping district, where the Great Cutlery Bargain Sale offers knives, scissors, pocketknives, and more.
At the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum, you can watch traditional Japanese sword forging, with sparks flying, as well as demonstrations of sword polishing and mounting techniques.
Highlights also include events unique to this city of blades, such as iaido cutting demonstrations and an outdoor knife show.
Source: 岐阜県関市 刃物まつり｜イベント｜【公式】せき観光ナビ - 岐阜県関市の観光・旅行情報
An autumn festival where you can buy, see, and touch Seki’s blacksmithing culture
What to expect
On Honmachi-dori, you can browse the Great Cutlery Bargain Sale and community booths. At the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum, you can watch traditional Japanese sword forging and demonstrations of sword polishing and mounting techniques.
Other events include an exhibition of contemporary swords, a sword-related advice desk, and a knife-sharpening corner.
Events are spread across locations in the city, including Honmachi-dori, the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum, and Sekiterasu, so visitors can choose which ones to visit.
Source: Cutlery Festival
How to take part
The big cutlery bargain sale, community interaction booths, and various exhibits are open for visitors to enjoy freely.
In 2026, advance registration is required to watch the traditional Japanese sword forging demonstration for safety and crowd-control purposes.
By contrast, no advance registration is required for the public demonstrations of sword polishing and fittings techniques, and visitors may watch freely during the event hours.
To watch traditional Japanese sword forging, apply using the dedicated web form.
Applications for 2026 were accepted from 10 a.m. on July 24 until 11:59 p.m. on September 20. If there were more applicants than spaces, places were allocated by lottery.
Each application allows entry for up to 4 people, including the applicant.
No application is required to watch the demonstrations of sword polishing and mounting techniques.
Source: 【重要】今年の古式日本刀鍛錬の観覧について（※事前申込制） | お知らせ | 刃物まつり / 【刃物まつり】古式日本刀鍛錬 一般公開（事前申込制） | 関市役所公式ホームページ
Location and access
- Venue and address
Honmachi Street, the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum, Sekiterasu, Apise Seki, and others.
The main venue is located in Honmachi, Seki City, Gifu Prefecture.
The Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum is at 9-1 Minami-Kasuga-cho, Seki City.
- Train and bus
It is a 5-minute walk from Seki Station on the Nagaragawa Railway.
Shuttle buses run from parking lots around the venue.
- By car
It takes about 20 minutes to reach the Seki City Hall parking lot from the Seki Interchange on the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway, and about 10 minutes from the Tomika-Seki and Mino interchanges.
- Parking
The Seki City Hall parking lot is listed as a temporary parking area for the Seki Cutlery Festival.
Traffic restrictions on the day of the event were announced for 2026.
Source: 岐阜県関市 刃物まつり｜イベント｜岐阜県観光公式サイト 「岐阜の旅ガイド」
Address Honmachi, Seki City, Gifu Prefecture
Dates and season
2026 event information (the listed dates have passed)
The 2026 Seki Cutlery Festival was listed as scheduled for October 10 (Saturday) and the 11th (Sunday).
Events generally run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., though times vary by event.
The Great Cutlery Bargain Sale on Honmachi-dori runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days. Traditional Japanese sword forging and demonstrations of sword polishing and mounting techniques are also open to the public on both days.
Accommodation and hotels PR
Showing nearby accommodation.
Prices and availability are current at the time of retrieval. For multi-night stays, only the first night’s price is shown. Confirm the final price and directions to the venue with the booking provider. Select your dates again when using the area search link. Search area: within 3 km of Central Gifu Prefecture / Seki City (the search is not centered on the festival venue)
Tips for your visit
The traditional Japanese sword forging demonstration in 2026 requires advance registration, and selected applicants need an admission ticket.
Gather in front of the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum 30 minutes before the start of your viewing session. If attending as a group, everyone must arrive together.
Crowds are expected around the venue, so follow staff instructions and take care to ensure the safety of any infants or young children accompanying you.
Nearby attractions
Nearby, you can visit the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum and Kasuga Shrine.
The Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum presents Seki City’s blacksmithing and cutlery culture. Admission is listed as free during the festival.
Kasuga Shrine is regarded as the guardian shrine of Seki’s swordsmiths and is also a venue for the festival’s offering ceremony and martial arts demonstrations.
Source: 初めてでも安心！❝刃物まつり❞おすすめ周遊コース｜モデルコース｜【公式】せき観光ナビ - 岐阜県関市の観光・旅行情報
フェザーミュージアム
岐阜県関市にある企業博物館
塚原遺跡公園展示館
岐阜県関市にある塚原遺跡に関する歴史資料館
岐阜県博物館
岐阜県関市にある県営の博物館
岐阜県百年公園
岐阜県関市にある公園
関市円空館
岐阜県関市にある博物館
Origins and History of Cutlery Festival
The Cutlery Festival grew out of the Toso Festival, which was held in Seki City.
In 1966, the Toso Festival was held as an event attended by people connected with metalworking businesses. The Seki Cutlery Festival Support Association was established in 1968, and the first festival was held in October of the same year.
Over time, events such as forging demonstrations, sword exhibitions, and demonstrations of polishing and mounting techniques were added, developing into the diverse program held today.
Source: 刃物まつり - Wikipedia
Official information
For official information, visit the Cutlery Festival’s official website and Seki City Hall’s official website.
Information is available on applications to watch traditional Japanese sword forging in 2026, event hours, activities at each venue, and traffic restrictions.
The Seki Cutlery Festival Executive Committee and the relevant department of Seki City Hall are listed as contacts for inquiries.
Source: 刃物まつり当日の交通規制について⚠ | お知らせ | 刃物まつり
Cutlery Festival at a Glance
The Cutlery Festival is a local autumn event where visitors can experience Seki City’s cutlery industry and blacksmithing culture through shopping and demonstrations.
In 2026, it was listed as scheduled for October 10 and the 11th, at venues including Honmachi Street and the Seki Traditional Swordsmith Museum.
Traditional Japanese sword forging requires an advance application, but other activities—including demonstrations of sword polishing and mounting techniques and the Great Cutlery Bargain Sale—can be enjoyed without applying.
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/10/19
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