匠 · The smiths
Twelve pairsof hands.
Every knife carries the marks of the smiths who made it, struck into the tang.
(01) — The bench
Who makesyour knife.
Four forge, four grind, two sharpen, two fit handles. Six of them, below.
Master · since 1994Mori Kenji
Fourth generation. Forges every yanagiba himself.
Handles · since 1988Ishida Yuki
Burns on every handle and checks every tang.
Finishing · since 1979Kato Daisuke
The oldest of us. The last pair of eyes before the roll.
Forge · since 2009Sato Haruto
Judges the quench by colour and by sound.
Sharpening · since 2006Tanaka Kenta
Four stones and two hours for every edge.
Forge · since 2023Nakamura Ren
The youngest. Strikes for Haruto until he forges alone.
Seki, Gifu · 700 years of blades
A townof smiths.
(02) — Apprenticeship
Ten yearsto a knife.
An apprentice sweeps, strikes and watches for three years before forging a blade of their own. Ten years before it carries their mark alone.
We take one apprentice every two years. Write to us.
Write to the forge ↗In the forge
“The hammer teaches. The smith only listens.”
Mori Kenji · master smith