The
Smiths

Established in 1975, the Tasai lineage is globally recognized for exquisite chisels. Famed for mastering a specialized 'Blue Steel 1.5' alloy and integrating traditional swordsmithing techniques into toolmaking. Both Akio and his son Michio are certified Japanese Traditional Craftsmen (Dentō Kōgei-shi). Their chisels are characterized by an exceptionally deep hollow back and a water quench that produces legendary hardness.

Yuji Funatsu, the 3rd generation Funahiro, is revered practically as a national treasure. He pioneered the scientific use of metallurgical microscopes alongside pure traditional craftsmanship, and is famous for producing legendary plane blades that command 5- to 6-figure prices on the secondary market. His Oroshigane (self-smelted steel) plane blades are among the most-discussed tools in the Japanese woodworking community.

Known for 'Kamon-Kiyohisa' chisels stamped with a family crest kamon. Historically recognized for their exceptional mastery of White Steel #1, producing highly sought-after tools that are now extremely rare. Antique Kiyohisa chisels in original condition command extraordinary prices among collectors worldwide. The lineage's current status is unknown; the final craftsman may have been lost after WWII.

Founded in 1947, Tsunesaburo applies ancient swordsmithing roots to plane making. They work with 11 different types of steel, maintaining a large operation in Miki City that blends deep tradition with prolific output. Three generations of the Uozumi family manage distinct product lines from production-grade to museum-quality Tamahagane blades.

Perhaps the most legendary toolsmith in Japanese history. Born into a swordsmith family, Korehide Chiyozuru (1874–1957) elevated carpentry tools to the level of fine art. His blades are now exceptionally rare collector's items — when they appear at auction, they attract global attention from tool collectors and museum curators alike. Known for balancing utilitarian function with extreme aesthetic beauty, and for his exclusive use of Swedish and Togo Reigo steels that he considered superior to any Japanese steel of his era.

A pioneering plane bladesmith who integrated scientific metallurgical analysis with traditional forging. His blades are legendary for extreme sharpness and edge retention, beloved by the Kezuroukai (planing competition) community where competitors struggle to produce the thinnest possible shaving. Multiple Kezuroukai records have been set using Usui Kengo blades. His death in 2012 left a void that has never been filled.

A highly coveted brand of chisels from Tokyo. The 'Hidari Ichihiro' (Left Ichihiro) mark — with the name stamped mirrored — represents masterpieces of the chisel-making craft, known for incredible resilience and edge holding. Tools bearing this mark are featured in museum collections. The origin of the 'left-stamped' tradition is debated among scholars.

Representing the 600-year history of Sakai blade making. Keijiro Doi was a legend for forging low-temperature Blue Carbon Steel — a process that required fewer hammer blows than standard forging and produced blades of exceptional purity. The workshop utilizes a strict division-of-labor system, passing blades between master forgers (kajishi) and master sharpeners (togishi). Today's line spans affordable production knives to ultra-premium ZDP-189 blades.

A staple of the Sanjo forging tradition, originally founded to produce sickles, saws, and kitchen knives. Now globally recognized for high-quality, accessible traditional Japanese cutlery. Particularly celebrated for their collaborative work with Japanese designer Sori Yanagi in producing the iconic 'Sori Yanagi' kitchen knife line that bridges traditional craft and modern Japanese design.

One of the last remaining Tokyo workshops preserving true Edo-period carpentry blade craftsmanship. Their tools are direct descendants of the techniques used by historical samurai swordsmiths who transitioned to tool-making during the Meiji era disarmament. The fourth generation Muneaki maintains the workshop at its historical location in Katsushika ward, making tools to order for professional carpenters.

Founded during the Bunkyū Era (1862), Iyoroi is one of the oldest continuously operating chisel workshops in Niigata. The 6th generation continues to forge chisels using traditional methods including water quenching — a technique that produces harder, more brittle steel than oil quenching, demanding a higher tempering skill but yielding exceptional results. Their chisels are prized by temple carpenters for their longevity.

A leading producer of high-quality Japanese saws from Miki City — Japan's saw capital. Nishiki specializes in precision-set impulse-hardened saw blades, as well as traditional replaceable-plate saws for professional carpenters. Their blades are characterized by extremely consistent tooth geometry and hardness, achieved through a combination of traditional hand-setting and modern CNC technology.

The Nagahiro workshop in Sanjo is one of the premier producers of Aogami Super plane blades — a steel demanding rare skill to forge and heat-treat correctly. They are particularly noted for their control of carbon migration at the lamination weld line between the high-carbon cutting steel and the soft iron body, producing a blade that is both extremely hard at the edge and shock-resistant at the spine.

Okayama Hamono is particularly celebrated for producing curved-blade tools — spoke shaves, draw knives, and compass planes — with the same level of finish and precision usually reserved for flat blades. Their draw knives are considered the finest available in Japan, hand-forged and capable of taking tissue-thin shavings from the face of a curved chair leg.

Masamoto is arguably the most prestigious kitchen knife workshop in Japan, serving professional chefs since 1866. The Yanagiba knives produced for Japanese sushi masters are legendary — single-bevel blades of extraordinary flatness and razor-sharp edge, capable of slicing raw fish so cleanly that the cut surfaces seal against air. Their workshop in Katsushika has remained in continuous family operation for over 150 years.

A solo blacksmith operating a one-man workshop in Niigata, Nakaya Takashi represents the artisan model of Japanese toolmaking — small production, exceptional quality, and direct sale to professional customers. His Aogami Super chisels are acclaimed for an extremely deep ura hollow and a geometry polished to such precision that new chisels require minimal preparation before use. Wait lists for his work routinely extend two or more years.

Yasuki (Yasugi), Shimane Prefecture, is the historical home of the Hitachi paper steel family — the area's iron-sand-rich rivers were the original source of the raw ore. The Yasuki blacksmith tradition predates the modern Hitachi steel classification, and workshops here have been forging blade tools from local materials for centuries. The guild represents dozens of individual smiths specializing in everything from agricultural sickles to fine carpenters' tools.

Konobu is a workshop specializing in the finest-grade finishing and paring chisels — tools that are never struck with a hammer but guided entirely by hand pressure. Their Shirogami #1 paring chisels are ground to a geometry so acute and so highly polished that they glide through the hardest hardwood grain with almost no resistance. Preferred by lacquerware craftsmen and furniture makers who need surgical precision.

Mikami Seisakusho is one of Miki City's most respected saw manufacturers, producing both traditional hand-set saws for professional carpenters and the high-production impulse-hardened blades that dominate the modern market. Their traditional set Ryoba and Dozuki saws — where each tooth is individually set and filed by hand — are sought by cabinetmakers and finish carpenters who prize the control and feel that hand-set teeth provide.

Watanabe Waichi is a legendary solo plane bladesmith whose work is defined by absolute refusal to compromise. Each blade is custom-made to order for a specific customer, including hand-grinding the ura hollow to a specific depth requested by the buyer. His Oroshigane blades — smelted from reclaimed materials in his own forge — are objects of almost mythic status among plane enthusiasts, as each piece has unique properties determined by the specific iron he chose to smelt.

One of the rare Sanjo workshops that produces both chisels and the hammers used to drive them — a complete understanding of the entire striking system gives Gihei's tools a reputational advantage. Their genno hammer heads are forged with a differential hardness: the striking face is fully hard, the body soft, absorbing shock that would otherwise be transmitted to the craftsman's arm over a full day of work.