Discover the ancient craft of knife making in the heart of Kyoto. In this experience, you will have the opportunity to learn the traditional techniques for heating iron until it is scalding hot, and then shaping it with a hammer until it resembles a knife. Your English speaking guide will pick you up from your hotel and escort you to the knife-making facility.

You can choose between three knife making workshops:

Cutout single-edged knife (beginner level)

This is a workshop to make a single-edged knife, suitable for beginners.

The steel used will be Aogami No. 2 steel, and the base metal will be forged and welded from ultra soft iron. You will experience forging, design the knife, sharpen it with a belt grinder, and make it into a shape. If you would like to engrave your name on the knife, please let the instructor know.

Duration: 1 hour

Double-edged knife (beginner level)

In this workshop, you will make a camping knife or other double-edged knife using Aogami No. 2 steel for the steel and ultra-soft iron for the base metal. It is possible to add a wood handle or change the steel to Damascus (please request this upfront), but an additional fee will be charged.

After experiencing the forging process and designing the knife into a shape of your choice, a belt grinder will be used to grind it into shape.

Duration: 1 hour

Cutting and forging knife (advanced level)

In this workshop, you can make a cutout or single-edged knife by forging and welding your own steel (Shiragami No. 2 steel) and base metal (ultra-soft iron). After experiencing the forging process and designing the knife's shape into your desired shape, the knife will be sharpened and shaped using a belt grinder.

Duration : 2 hours

Kinetaka Hamono: The Legacy of Kyoto's Blades

Kinetaka Hamono (金高刃物) is a historic cutlery forge that traces its origins back to the Edo period, founded in Keian 4 (1651) as a Japanese razor smith under the trade name "Fujiwara Kanetaka," and later relocating to its current site in front of Rokkaku-do Temple around 1770, where it has remained a cornerstone of Kyoto's artisan culture ever since. Today, Kinetaka continues to coordinate the finest blades for the city's top artisans, meticulously matching the user's needs with the perfect tool, serving a prestigious clientele that includes professionals requiring fine cooking knives for Nishiki Market cuisine, precision grip scissors for Nishijin weaving, specialized flower arranging tools for the Ikenobo School of Ikebana, and tools for Hyogu (traditional scroll mounting). Having established its shop directly in front of the Ikenobo School's headquarters, Kinetaka enjoys profound trust within the Kado (flower arrangement) community, ensuring they maintain an extensive and unparalleled selection of high-quality tools essential for this art.

The steps in this knife making experience are:

① Start with a blank sheet of steel.

② Heat the metal until it glows a burning bright orange.

③ Hammer the iron into shape.

④ Use a belt grinder to further shape the metal.

⑤ Use fire chopsticks to twist the metal into the shape of a knife.

⑥ Polish and sharpen the knife until it is a finished product! Let the teacher know if you want to engrave your name on the knife, or if you want to attach a timber handle to the knife.

International shipping charges:

Please see the image below for shipping charges.

Optional charges for special knife handle:

We have various types of knife handles, each one unique. You can choose one from our stock at that time. The cost of materials is approximately ¥15,000 per handle. The processing fee of about ¥3,500 will be added to the price.

We also have natural woods such as ebony pattern, cherry, zelkova, ziricote, and walnut. Prices range from ¥2,500 to ¥6,000. Plus a processing fee of about ¥3,500.

About Knife Maintenance:

After using the knife, make sure to thoroughly wipe off any moisture. If you won’t be using it for about 10 days, apply oil to the blade. For longer storage, wrap the knife in newspaper. The ink in the printed sections of the newspaper contains oils that help prevent the blade from deteriorating.