Kisuke Manaka

Kisuke Manaka is a relatively young, 5th generation, blacksmith in Kasukabe, Saitama pref. He married into a blacksmithing family and decided to become a blacksmith himself. He didn’t have anyone who could teach him, as his father in-law mostly retailed knives, but he had a pile of equipment that he had inherited. He began making knives from scratch about 10 years ago and experienced many years of struggle and learning from his struggles. Through sheer force of effort, he developed the technique to forge-weld steels in house, even forge welding stainless steel which is no easy task.

In 2025, Manaka-san relocated to Sanjo city, a mecca for knifemakers, so he could be surrounded by other makers who he could learn from and share ideas with. Already an exceptional craftsman and artist, we are very excited to see where this change takes him.