Masashi Yamamoto

Masashi-san started his own workshop in 2013, after learning the family trade alongside his older brother Kazuomi at Yoshikane Hamono. He specializes in a regional forging style passed down in his family that focuses on forging blades as close to the final shape as possible, resulting in less waste later in the process. Despite his young age, Masashi makes a beautifully polished and crazy sharp blade. Advancing far beyond his contemporaries in under a decade, he has now taken on two apprentices to begin passing on his skills and continuing his own growth.

 He’s also a bit of a risk-taker, he likes to forge knives in his flip-flops as well as light cigarettes off glowing pieces of steel he’s working with. Bad. Ass.