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A handmade santoku knife from Sakai, Osaka, forged from white carbon steel (shirogami).
| Maker | Sakai Genkichi, Sakai City, Osaka |
| Steel | White carbon steel (Shirogami) |
| Blade Length | 18cm, 300g |
| Care | Hand wash only, not dishwasher safe |
| Origin | Made in Japan 🇯🇵 |
On this page
How long delivery takes   ·  Something arrived wrong   ·  Changed your mind   ·  What cannot be returned   ·  Start a return
Everything ships from Japan. Times below are typical, and customs procedures in your country are the part we cannot predict.
| Stage | Standard | Express |
|---|---|---|
| Processing and dispatch | Within 72 hours | Within 72 hours |
| International transit | 2 to 4 days | 1 to 3 days |
| Customs clearance | 1 to 3 days | Under 2 days |
| Local carrier delivery | 2 to 4 days | 1 to 2 days |
| Total, door to door | 8 to 14 days | 5 to 9 days |
Customs clearance is the only stage neither we nor the carrier controls. A parcel held for inspection can add several days, and that is outside the estimates above.
Tell us. Most cases are settled by email within a day or two, and a return is often not necessary at all.
This one is on us. Email us within 14 days of delivery with your order number and a photograph of the problem, including the packaging if the parcel arrived damaged.
We will replace the item or refund it in full, shipping included. You pay nothing, and in most cases we will not ask you to send anything back.
You have 14 calendar days from the day you receive your order to ask for a return. Write to us first, before sending anything back, so we can give you the return address and a reference for your parcel.
The item must come back unused, in its original packaging and in the condition it reached you. Once it arrives we inspect it and refund the price of the goods to your original payment method, usually within five working days.
Please read this before you order. Returns travel back to Japan, and you cover that cost. From North America or Europe it is rarely cheap, and on a low-value item the postage can exceed what you paid for it. The original shipping fee is not refunded either. If you are hesitating between two items, ask us before ordering rather than after. We answer quickly and we would far rather help you choose than process a return.
A change of mind does not cover the following, for reasons of hygiene, safety or customs. Faulty items are of course still covered above.
Much of what we sell is made by hand. Variations in glaze, colour, grain and shape between two pieces of the same ceramic are the mark of the craft, not a fault, and they are described as such on the product pages. These variations are not grounds for a return under our damaged and faulty policy, though the 14-day change of mind period still applies.
Email [EMAIL] with your order number and a line about what is wrong. We will reply with the return address and a reference to write on the parcel.
Please do not send anything back before you have that reference. Unannounced parcels are difficult to match to an order and slow the refund down considerably. We answer from Fukuoka, Japan, so allow for the time difference.
Nothing on this page affects the statutory rights you hold in your own country, which apply in addition to the policy described here.
United States
All US orders ship Delivered Duty Paid. Import duties, tariffs and taxes are calculated and paid by us before your parcel leaves Japan.
The total at checkout is the total you pay. The courier will never invoice you. There is no threshold to reach and no condition to meet.
Everything we sell is shipped from Japan. When a parcel reaches your country it crosses a customs border, and at that point your own authorities may apply import duty, tariffs and sales tax. The amount is set by your government, not by us, and it is separate from the shipping fee. Here is what to expect for your destination.
| Destination | What you pay on delivery |
| United States | Nothing. All duties and tariffs included. |
| Canada | Duty and GST/HST, collected by the carrier |
| European Union | Import VAT and carrier handling fee |
| United Kingdom | Import VAT and carrier handling fee |
| Australia | GST, collected by the carrier |
| New Zealand | GST, collected by the carrier |
| Everywhere else | Local duty and tax, collected by the carrier |
Our minimum order value is $50, and every US order ships Delivered Duty Paid. There is no order small enough to fall outside it.
This matters more than it used to. The United States withdrew its $800 duty-free allowance in August 2025 and made the withdrawal permanent in June 2026, so every parcel entering the country is now assessed, however small. Tariffs applied to country of origin and product category have also changed repeatedly across 2025 and 2026, and the rate depends on how each item is classified, so ceramics, tea, textiles and cutlery are not treated alike. None of that reaches you. We absorb whatever applies and the checkout total stands. We do not publish a rate here because it would be out of date within weeks, but if you want the commodity codes we declare so you can check for yourself, just ask.
Orders are shipped Delivered Duty Unpaid. Goods arriving from Japan above CAD 20 may attract duty and GST or HST. These charges are set by the Canada Border Services Agency and collected by the carrier before delivery, which usually adds a handling fee of its own. Details are on the CBSA website.
Orders are shipped Delivered Duty Unpaid. Import VAT, and customs duty where it applies, are collected by the carrier or your postal service before the parcel is released, together with a handling fee charged by the carrier for making the declaration on your behalf.
Two points worth knowing. Import VAT applies to every parcel entering the EU, with no minimum value, at your national rate. And the EU is withdrawing its €150 duty-free allowance during 2026, with a flat customs charge applying to low-value parcels from 1 July 2026. Rates and current rules are published by your national customs authority.
Orders are shipped Delivered Duty Unpaid. Import VAT, and customs duty on consignments above £135, are collected by the carrier before delivery, along with its handling fee. Current thresholds and rates are published by HM Revenue & Customs.
Orders are shipped Delivered Duty Unpaid. Australian customs treat consignments below AUD 1,000 as low value imports. GST generally applies to these goods, while customs duty is normally reserved for consignments above that threshold. Current rules are published by the Australian Border Force.
Orders are shipped Delivered Duty Unpaid. New Zealand applies GST to imported goods, and consignments above NZD 1,000 may also attract customs duty and a border processing fee. Charges are collected before the parcel is released. Current rules are published by New Zealand Customs.
Orders are shipped Delivered Duty Unpaid. Any duty or tax due is collected by the carrier or your postal service before the parcel is released. Rates vary by product category, so ceramics, tea, textiles and knives are not treated alike. Your national customs website is the reliable source, and we are happy to send you the commodity codes and declared values we use if you want to check before ordering.
Where duties are payable on delivery and the parcel is refused or never collected, it is either returned to Japan or destroyed, depending on the country. Return carriage from most destinations costs more than the outbound leg. If a parcel reaches us again we will refund the goods, but outbound and return shipping cannot be recovered and will be deducted from the refund. Please make sure someone is able to accept the parcel and settle any local charge.
Many countries apply additional rules to food, tea and matcha, and some restrict knives. These items may be inspected, held, or in rare cases refused entry, whether or not the tax has been paid. We declare every parcel accurately. We cannot mark an order as a gift or understate its value, as both are customs offences and would put your parcel at risk rather than protect it.
These rules are moving quickly. Import thresholds and tariffs in the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom have all changed or are scheduled to change across 2025 and 2026. This page reflects our policy as of July 2026. If anything here conflicts with what a carrier tells you, write to us and we will sort it out.
