Masashi Yamamoto

Blacksmith Masashi Yamamoto
Made in Sanjo, Niigata, Japan

37 products

About Masashi Yamamotos

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.

Articles and videos

  • Toshihiro Wakui

    Toshihiro Wakui

    Toshihiro Wakui-san is a third-generation maker of hand-forged crowbars who pivoted his business to knife making when hand-made crowbars went out of fashion. He mastered the art in four short years apprenticing under Kazuomi Yamamoto of Yoshikane and got to work making his own knives. Working completely solo in a rather chaotic workshop a la Doc Brown, he produces gorgeous blades with excellent fit and finish.
  • Naoki Mazaki

    Naoki Mazaki

  • Mutsumi Hinoura

    Mutsumi Hinoura

    Mutsumi Hinoura is the son of renowned blacksmith Tsukasa Hinoura. In his late thirties, he is already considered one of Japan’s most revered blacksmiths. For nearly 2 decades, he studied with his father and is the 4th generation to carry on the family craft. Mutsumi-san lives in Sanjo, in the Niigata region. This area is known for its handmade cutlery. In 2001, he graduated from Niigata College of Engineering. From there, he began his career as a blacksmith, honing his craft to produce blades with traditional style and modern performance. Mutsumi-san continues to work under the family brand, Ajikataya (味方屋). They specialize in producing traditional bladed tools, including Japanese hatchets. His recent foray into kitchen knives has produced some stunning blades, and we can't wait to see where his career takes him.
  • Tomoo Matsumura

    Tomoo Matsumura

  • https://www.youtube.com/embed/_28h9rG65kg

    Kisuke Manaka

    Kisuke Manaka is a relatively young, 5th generation, blacksmith in Kasukabe, Saitama pref. His father-in-law was a wholesaler masquerading as a blacksmith, and Manaka-san didn’t like the dishonest way his father-in-law operated his business so he decided to become a blacksmith himself. He didn’t have anyone who could teach him, but he had a pile of equipment that he had inherited such as a spring hammer, a sharpening wheel, etc. 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.