Go Yoshizawa of Nigara Hamono Visits Canada for the First Time

This September, Go Yoshizawa-san of Nigara Hamono visited Canada for the first time and came to Knifewear Calgary and Edmonton! For most of our staff, it was their first time meeting him. A chance to meet a legendary blacksmith is always a huge deal, especially one so skilled at folding damascus steel as Yoshizawa-san. Not only is he extremely skilled at forging, he’s also one of the most humble and kind folks I’ve ever met. You’d expect someone of his skill level to have a chip on their shoulder, but he was beyond lovely to hang out with during his visit.

 When most gaijin think of Japan, a samurai wielding a shiny hand-forged sword usually comes to mind. While this can certainly be a stereotype, handmade swords have had a large impact on culture in Japan, especially the culture of knife-makers.

The Nigara family was one such family of swordsmiths in the region of Tsugaru, forging swords for samurai in the surrounding area. Today, Go Yoshizawa-san is the 15th generation of Nigara Hamono, and is their head blacksmith. Yoshizawa-san utilizes the skills and techniques that were passed down in his family for over 350 years to forge stunning kitchen knives that we are proud to carry at Knifewear.

Credit: Ken Richardson

He started his career as a blacksmith not long ago in 2011, when his uncle, and head of the company, fell ill. He immediately returned to Aomori from Tokyo and joined the family business. He started making blades with very traditional steels like Shirogami and Aogami, but he quickly noticed the emerging demand for knives crafted from more modern stainless steels such as VG10. His first attempt with VG10 was, in his words, an absolute disaster. This newfangled steel that he had never worked with presented a much larger challenge than he expected. Even with this complete failure, he never gave up on the challenge of creating something new. He got to work learning how to work with these new materials, determined to make knives for the modern world.

Today, Yoshizawa-san is now training several apprentices who can carry on his skill set and uphold the family legacy, all while forging his one of a kind masterpieces.

Yoshizawa-san’s trip to Canada started off rocky, with a cancelled flight and a midnight arrival in sunny Calgary, AB. Despite the rough start, Naoto quickly turned things around with local coffee and pastry the morning after. He took Yoshizawa-san and his team on a quick tour of Inglewood and the Calgary Knifewear, where he personally tuned up a Troll Killer blade that Calgary Assistant Manager Kat had lovingly restored. 

In the afternoon, Calgary locals were treated to a rare event; a chance to see Yoshizawa-san demonstrate his forging skills. With an anvil and furnace borrowed from Calgary knife makers Chris Green and Hudson Torrens, Yoshizawa-san hammered out a damascus billet that he forged back home, crafting the bevel on a sakimaru blade while 60+ onlookers studied his craftsmanship in near silence. The demo took place at Highline brewing, who kept the beer and gourmet hot dogs flowing for the crowd all afternoon. Local Japanese businesses Matsukaze Tea, Kawaya Miso, Yamnuska Mountain Tours, and the Calgary Japanese Community Association were on-site to meet folks and hand out samples, and the Consul General Wajima Takehiko even made an appearance! Afterwards, we enjoyed a pint and one of the Nigara damascus blades was gifted to young Calgary blacksmith Hudson Torrens, who will be polishing, sharpening and handling the knife for an exciting collab in this year’s Fall Knifewear Garage Sale. Naoto and our guests retired to Vintage Chophouse for a 34oz Alberta Beef bone-in Porterhouse. When in Rome, eh?

Credit: Ken Richardson

The next morning, the gang hit highway 2 on their way to Edmonton for a very special Industry Monday starring Yoshizawa-san. It would be rude to not stop at the Donut Mill in Red Deer and show our guests the holiest spot in Alberta. I showed extreme restraint and only kept one dozen of the four dozen donuts I purchased for myself. We continue our journey north without delay, and hit Knifewear Edmonton around 12:30pm. From 1-6pm, local chefs and cooks enjoyed the usual 1 free knife sharpening they get every Monday, and a lucky customer snagged that restored Troll Killer that Kat & Yoshizawa-san worked on. Medium Rare was on site showing off their Canadian-made aprons and chef wear, while folks enjoyed treats from Art of Charcuterie, Donuts from the Donut Mill (obviously), and a pig-butchery demo by Mike of Modest Meats. The demo was an especially big treat for our Japanese guests, as witnessing such a large piece of meat being broken down is exceptionally rare in Japan. They had many questions about butchery knives and who knows, maybe it’ll lead to something exciting in the future. After the shop closed up, Yoshizawa-san and his team, along with the Knifewear Edmonton staff, Jacob, and Naoto, enjoyed pork and steak from Modest Meats grilled over the konro by Jacob. There may have been vegetables, I cannot confirm nor deny.

I’d like to offer a huge thank you to our three guests from Nigara Hamono. It was such a treat to host them, and they were beyond delightful. I hope to see them again soon, and I can’t to see how the beautiful foothills of Alberta inspired Yoshizawa-san’s knife making. Yoshizawa-san brought several one of a kind blades for in-store customers (see below), and if he's making stuff that incredible now, I can only image what he'll be doing in a decade's time. If you want to see their visit for yourself, check out our recent video about their visit on the Knifewear YouTube Channel!