About Tsukasa Hinoura
Tsukasa Hinoura, born in 1956, began practicing his trade in 1975. His blades are known for a refined and long lived edge. His knives are highly sought after in Japan and Europe, and will soon have the same reputation in Canada. Hinoura-san represents the third generation of his family‘s forging tradition. As a young craftsman, his role models were Nagashima and Shigeyoshi Iwasaki of Sanjo. They enjoy an excellent reputation in Echigo and have done a great deal to advance the knife maker’s art in Sanjo.
A province in the northern part of central Japan, historically named Echigo, is by no means just another knife making region. There, the art of forging looks back on 700 years of tradition. The city of Sanjo is situated in this province, in today’s Niigata prefecture. This is where the Hinoura family have been plying the blade making trade for decades.
Articles and videos
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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. -
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. -
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.
