Collection: Makoto Kurosaki

The Kurosaki brothers are to Japanese knife making what the Cohen brothers are to film. While they see mainstream success, their work is especially popular among knife-nerds and their fanbase is ever-growing. 

Makoto-san is the older brother of Yu Kurosaki, and now works at Kato-san's workshop in Takefu Knife Village as a sharpener. He started his career after his brother became a blacksmith, but he decided to become a knife sharpener (and sickles, which he is super good at) than a blacksmith. He sources forged blades from different blacksmiths in the area like Kato-san, Ikeda-san and Yu Kurosaki-san.

The work of a knife sharpening is often overlooked, but its importance cannot be overstated. While the blacksmith is responsible for hammering and hardening the steel, the sharpener is responsible for making it actually work as a knife. They shape the blade, establish the bevel, and of course, sharpen the edge. They start with an extremely rough piece of forged steel, and through the application of immense skill, transform it into a finely-tuned instrument of tomato destruction.