Founded in 1897 in Katagami, Akita, southeast of Lake Hachiro.
Our workshop in its early years
Chidasaichi-Shoten was founded here in 1897 by Saichi Chida. Across four generations—from Saichi to Tsurunosuke, Tetsutaro and now Kiyotaka—the craft has been handed down under the Saichi name. Our workshop is located in Katagami City, Akita Prefecture, southeast of Lake Hachiro.
Location matters. Japanese smelt (wakasagi) and Japanese icefish (shirauo) from Lake Hachiro, together with sand lance from the Tohoku coast, can be brought from nearby fishing ports to our kettles while still at their freshest. This proximity to the source is one of the reasons we continue to make tsukudani here.
Alongside our food business, we operate Cafe Utase and our Cultural Division, Art Office Saichi. Through the division, we produce concerts, staged readings, visual-art and film projects; run Patio Music Academy & Hall together with its piano school; and serve as the secretariat for the Akita Katagami International Music Festival.
Bringing vitality to our community through food and the arts—that is our aspiration.
