SME  /  E-COMMERCE

By FedEx | January 23, 2026

Musashi Japan is transforming traditional knife-making by blending bold designs with time-honored craftsmanship. Founder Allen Wang shares how the brand built trust with Japanese artisans and localized products for diverse global markets, achieving sales in over 166 countries.

• A growing global appreciation for Japanese craftsmanship has inspired entrepreneurs like Allen Wang to reintroduce traditional knife-making to the world.
• By partnering with artisans and building trust through community engagement, Wang is helping to revive a vanishing trade while adapting it to modern tastes.
• His brand, Musashi Japan, now ships thousands of artisanal knife varieties, expanding its reach through education and cultural collaboration.

In the 1930s, the art critic and philosopher Soetsu Yanagi lamented the growing ugliness of modern living and the proliferation of poorly made, disposable products. He called for a return to reverence for everyday utensils, writing, "If it is our ideal to live in a world surrounded by beautiful things... then we must raise the ordinary things of our daily lives to a higher level."

Nearly a century on, Yanagi might have been pleasantly surprised to see that such appreciation for the practical beauty of Japanese folk craft has spread around the world. Yet, traditional craft remains a vanishing trade, threatened by the gradual loss of skills over generations. To help support its revival, international enthusiasts are stepping in – not just as customers, but as entrepreneurs.

Reviving a centuries-old knife-making tradition in Japan

Allen Wang is one such enthusiast-turned-entrepreneur. In 2020, the Taiwanese native founded Taimatsu (“torch” in Japanese) and launched the brand Musashi Japan, a purveyor of high-quality Japanese kitchen knives.

Wang’s foray into entrepreneurship was inspired by his earlier career in advertising, where he worked on promoting inbound tourism to Japan, among other things. During that time, he recalls feeling "a growing sense of limitation regarding the decline of traditional Japanese crafts."

He views traditional crafts as "crystallizations of culture" and feels personally connected to them. “In particular, knives represent the path I've taken since coming to Japan, the experiences I've had, and the future I aim to build," he shares. He was also drawn to the idea of focusing on a specific craft and building meaningful connections in the industry – something he found “hard to dig deep into” when working on national branding.

One of Wang’s goals is to make high-quality traditional products more relatable to a wide audience. When he first began exploring artisanal Japanese knives, he was struck by their exceptional quality and variety. Yet, he noticed that most consumers hesitated to buy them – not only because of the cost, but also because of their complexity and the way they were presented.

"In Japanese craftsmanship, functionality is of course important," says Wang. "However, having been in this industry for about five years now, I’ve noticed more and more customers valuing the story behind the product rather than just its function."

International customers are deeply inspired by the heritage of Japanese knife-making, but often prefer non-traditional design features such as unconventional blade shapes and textures. Wang's innovation has been threefold: branding traditional knives in a way that resonates internationally, finding ways to accommodate contemporary preferences while respecting the craft, and making the products easily accessible.

Forging bonds with artisans to reinvent traditional craft

Musashi partners with 48 Japanese knife manufacturers, many of whom were initially hesitant to embrace change. "We spent a lot of time during the first three years building these partnerships," Wang says.

At first, he and his team were not taken seriously and were sometimes dismissed as ignorant foreigners. His idea of adding ocean-themed artwork to the blades, for example, was met with skepticism.

"That's when we realized we needed to create success stories first," Wang explains. His team began creating prototypes of their ideas to open discussion. Knowing that many artisans were facing a slump in local sales, he highlighted the benefits of tapping into new international markets and offered up front payment for batches of products that would take one to two years to complete.

His tenacity and sincerity proved essential. "I personally visited about 10 companies a day,” Wang recalls. “In the first year, we were rejected by almost everyone. Even into the second year, we kept calling every month, and eventually people started to see that we were serious."

Beyond regular calls, he also joined community cleanups and other activities to build trust with local communities. Over time, the relationships he cultivated helped local artisans to become more open to innovation.

"At Taimatsu, about 70% of what we do is routine work, and the remaining 30% is reserved for new challenges," says Wang. "We've set up a system where any employee can propose ideas, guided by the question: How can I redefine a traditional craft I personally connect with?"

Musashi has continued to innovate by experimenting with techniques like engraving gold onto knife blades and incorporating unorthodox materials like carbon into the handles. By combining traditional techniques with other forms of craftsmanship, the brand aims to create new value.

Innovation can also be invisible. While the artisans focus on their craft, Wang's company supports them by handling the business operations they don't have the expertise or time for. "In the context of traditional crafts, there's been very little use of digital tools, customer analysis, or data-driven strategies," he notes. "I believe our efforts represent a new movement in the industry – one that could become a model for how these traditions are passed on in the future."

For Wang, driving business growth for highly skilled craftspeople in an industry he loves is more than a mission. "I genuinely feel excited every day," he says. "Receiving direct feedback from customers continues to motivate me daily."

He is also equally passionate about nurturing the next generation of Japanese artisans, and hopes to support aspiring young craftspeople by fostering an environment where they can hone their skills and grow into independent professionals.

Bringing the best Japanese kitchen knives to the world

By blending traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation, Musashi has drawn the attention of consumers worldwide. With around 150,000 overseas customers, the brand has sold products in more than 166 countries and counting.

So far, Musashi has focused primarily on expanding across the US and Europe. The latter accounts for 30% to 40% of its customer base, with markets like France and Germany driving over 10% of current sales. Wang also observes a growing community of customers in Sweden and Italy.

While the US and Europe continue to offer exciting growth opportunities, Asia represents a new frontier. As food cultures across Asian countries differ significantly from those in the West, Musashi must localize its products and understand each market’s unique preferences.

For instance, many Chinese customers take pride in using a single chef's knife for most tasks, while Korean consumers tend to favor stainless steel and rust-resistant products in simple patterns. Occasionally, unusual requests come in – such as knives inspired by video game franchise Monster Hunter. While amusing, Wang is serious about understanding the intentions behind them.

Besides adapting to diverse customer preferences, another crucial factor in Musashi’s global success has been optimizing its logistics operations. Early on, Wang recognized that lightweight, compact products were ideal for international shipping. This insight enabled him to lay the groundwork for a scalable business model.

Musashi’s product range is both extensive and expensive – with about 3,500 types of artisanal knives priced up to JPY 3,000,000. With such high-value items, there is no room for error in packaging or shipping.

The brand relies on FedEx’s international shipping services to ensure secure and reliable delivery. "I believe that partnerships with logistics companies are incredibly important," Wang says.

To support smooth global shipping, Musashi maintains rigorous compliance processes. The company has integrated FedEx Ship Manager with its internal system, so that shipment labels are automatically generated from order details. While automation speeds up operations, the team still performs double and triple manual checks to avoid mistakes.

Looking ahead, Wang plans to further upgrade the company’s shipping processes and implement advanced improvements for a business that continues to grow in complexity. An example is introducing sensors to detect incorrect shipments.

Turning local craft into international success

Musashi has come a long way in five years and still continues to evolve and expand its reach. The next chapter of its journey will focus on deepening its connection with global audiences.

"As our business matures, we plan to develop products tailored to different needs," Wang says, pointing to Musashi’s existing variants – oversized grips for larger hands and rust-resistant materials for humid regions – as early steps in that evolution.

To raise awareness of traditional Japanese knives, Wang intends to leverage online channels for education while increasing Musashi’s physical presence in local markets. He also hopes to pursue brand collaborations with elements of Japanese pop culture, such as anime. “Together with local governments, we’re committed to delivering these products as part of a cultural experience," he shares.

Alongside the company, Wang himself has grown too. From a plucky entrepreneur with a bold idea, he has become the leader of a business uniquely positioned to drive progress in the traditional world of Japanese knife-making.

"I want to continue this work for the rest of my life," he says. "There are so many moments when I truly feel, 'This is something only we can do.' If we don't take action, nothing will change."