Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Motomura-Broida.
Hi Sara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We started as a small company… just as a husband-and-wife team. We still are a small group of passionate knife dorks doing our best to educate people about Japan’s rich culture and history and the awesome knives they make. Our goal is to make high-quality Japanese knives from small makers available to you, outside of Japan.
I grew up in Haguro, Yamagata (Northern Japan) – imagine Ohio, but with rice paddies instead of corn fields. My parents are accomplished ceramic (earthenware) artists, and thanks to them, I was exposed to a myriad of unique and creative individuals from Japan and other countries.
From early on, I was interested in the world outside of Japan. This interest, combined with my artistic upbringing, gave me my intellectual curiosity. When I was 17, I left Japan to study in the U.S. for a month and Canada for a year.
When I returned to Japan, I attended The Japan College of Foreign Languages, later transferring to Saitama University, where I majored in American Studies. My ever-lasting curiosity led me to apply for, and thankfully receive, a great scholarship, which I used to attend a master’s program in Journalism/Mass Communication at California State University, Northridge. I graduated from the program in December of 2009.
As I begun my Job hunt after school, I realized that I also wanted both my career and my life to be creative and fun. That is why I decided to help Jonathan start Japanese Knife Imports. Japanese knives are not just knives – they are Japanese cultural products – simple yet sophisticated, with ever-lasting beauty. Japanese Knife Imports is my passion and a part of my dream.
In November 2013, we had our son, Kenzo. For the first 2 years, we always brought Kenzo to work with us. Now as he is a 3rd grader, he would only come to hang out at the store sometimes. We always take him to Japan on our annual business trip – he has met the coolest, most talented craftsmen across Japan. In January 2019, we had a second son, Kenshin, who is now a full-time preschooler. We are planning to take both kids with us to do a lot of traveling and meeting craftsmen in Japan next year. Jon and I are hoping that one day they will be interested in joining JKI.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not always been a smooth ride. English has been a quite a struggle. Language has always been a tough part, especially having conversations over the phone, and we have a lot of that throughout the day. When I was training myself to be on the phone, I tried so many times to say, “Japanese Knife Imports – this is Sara speaking”, but my hands and voice were shaky. I was anxious – I was sure that I did not make sense to people. But I have somewhat overcome my anxiety through trial and error. I have to thank all of my friends, families, and customers for their patience. People were very understanding and kind – when you are trying your best and being polite, people are almost always willing to be patient and show kindness.
Also, while it is great to not have to ever worry how much time I spend with my husband, working together as business partners can cause some drama… but we both take a great pride in what we do. Most importantly, we always agree when it comes to our core values- especially with respect to our integrity, both personally and as a business. We chose to build a company that we can be proud of. We gave up on stable and secure jobs, working for someone else, and instead, we chose JKI. In many ways, JKI has come to define who we are.
I feel that making conscious decisions to maintain integrity may be harder than compromising (morally, financially, etc.). But so far, we can proudly say that our decisions have always been rooted in our integrity. And I very much enjoy sharing this adventure with my husband. Teaching others, especially our sons, about the history, culture, traditions, and values that have shaped our company, the craftsmen we deal with, and the industries we cater to has been extremely rewarding. I look forward to what the future holds for all of us.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Japanese Knife Imports is focused on importing high-quality Japanese kitchen cutlery and related accessories, including sharpening stones, knife storage bags, kitchen tools, and other items. We also offer sharpening and repair services and knife sharpening classes for Japanese kitchen knives. We specialize in helping match people with the knives and stones that are a good fit for them. By working closely with the craftsmen who make knives for us, we are able to draw on years of experience with knife making, knife sharpening, and professional cooking to ensure that the products we carry make sense for our customer base.
Our business philosophy has always helped us keep a very low-pressure sales environment. Instead of focusing on selling knives, we focus on educating our customers as best we can. We teach them about knives in general, the specifics of Japanese knives, sharpening, care, maintenance, and more. We even spend the time to explain the cultural and historical context. Through doing this, we have been able to foster an amazing customer base… they are loyal, well-informed, capable of using and caring for the products we sell, and constantly interested in learning new techniques and ways to utilize their knives.
Many of our customers have become great friends over the years. This community has helped us thrive and has been one of the most rewarding aspects of our business.
Additionally, because we spend so much time teaching and educating our customers, we have constantly had to be improving our knowledge and skill level to make sure we continue to be top experts in our field.
What were you like growing up?
I always took pride in my parents’ artwork, and their world that is crazy, beautiful, and sometimes chaotic. We had many artist friends visiting our parents, and all those discussions and exchanges of their artworks had been nothing but fascinating. My parents always encouraged me to be me, one and the only unique person in the world. They trusted me in making my choices. For instance, I had never been abroad until I decided at the age of 16 to take a flight to LA for a month of language training, then to Canada for a year as an international student. Now I am a mother, and I started realizing how special that was.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jknifeimports/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JapaneseKnifeImports
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JKnifeImports
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JKnifeImports
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/japanese-knife-imports-beverly-hills
Image Credits
Studio Alice
