Make your own kitchen knife with a master blacksmith in Shimanto
Get in touch with the essence of Japanese manufacturing in Shimanto's wilderness.
Overview
In the green hills of western Kochi Prefecture, the Shimanto River runs through one of the quietest valleys in Japan, a place where mountains and water have kept modernity at bay and the old craft traditions still hold. Hidden in the hamlet of Kuchiyanai, Tatara Iron & Steel Forging Workshop Kurogane welcomes no more than four guests at a time for a full day at the anvil, forging a kitchen knife from raw steel by hand.
The day is led by Prof. Hayashi, a master blacksmith who teaches in the ancient Tatara tradition of Japanese iron-and-steel forging, with an English-speaking guide present at every step so the craft is read clearly from start to finish. From a morning consultation you move through forging at the coal fire, lunch, shaping the blade on the belt sander, hand-engraving the inscription, heat treatment, and sharpening on whetstones, finishing the knife in your own hands by late afternoon.
Between sessions the workshop opens onto the river and the surrounding wilderness. Deer, wild boar, and the occasional troop of monkeys still appear at the edge of the forest, and the quiet between the strokes of the hammer is broken only by water and birdsong. Couples often add an engraved inscription to mark a wedding anniversary or a journey through Japan, leaving with a piece of working steel that holds the day inside it.
Details
❖ Consultation on knife making
09:00 - 09:30 (30 min)
Sit down with Prof. Hayashi to plan your knife. Length, profile, and grind are discussed before any steel is heated, so the forging that follows is shaped by your own hand from the very first stroke.
❖ Knife Forging
09:30 - 12:00 (2:30 h)
At the coal fire you draw the raw steel out with hammer and tongs, following the rhythm of tatara forging passed down through generations. Each heat shifts the colour and the shape a little further, and you watch the bar slowly become a blade.
❖ Lunch Time
12:00 - 13:00 (1:00 h)
A working lunch on site. The restaurant that used to operate near the workshop closed in 2022, so guests bring their own meal and drinks. Between June and September the workshop runs warm, so extra water is recommended.
❖ Make shape with belt sander
13:00 - 13:30 (30 min)
The rough forged blade moves to the belt sander, where it is refined to its final profile. Edges are brought square, the spine is cleaned, and the blade begins to look like a finished tool rather than a forged bar.
❖ Put the inscription
13:30 - 14:00 (30 min)
Hand-engrave your inscription into the steel: a name, a date, a kanji of your choice, a quiet mark for a trip or a memory. This is the step that makes the knife unambiguously yours.
❖ Heat Treatment
14:00 - 14:45 (45 min)
The blade returns to the fire for the heat-treatment cycle: heating to hardening temperature and quenching, then tempering. These are the two steps that give a Japanese kitchen knife its edge retention, and Prof. Hayashi guides them closely.
❖ Sharpening
14:45 - 16:00 (1:15 h)
The final stage. The blade is brought to its working edge on whetstones, step by step, until it is ready for the kitchen. Depending on the level of finish on the day, Prof. Hayashi may complete the polish at the workshop and post the finished knife to you a few days later.
❖ How to go
By car
About 3 hours by car from Kochi City and Kochi Ryoma Airport (approximately 150 km).
About 30 minutes by car from Shimanto City center (approximately 25 km).
By train and bus
Route 1: Take the Limited Express 'Shimanto' from Kochi Station or Takamatsu Station and get off at Nakamura Station. From Nakamura Station, take a bus bound for Ekawasaki Station, get off at the 'Kuchiyanai' stop, and walk about 15 minutes.
Route 2: Take the JR Yodo Line bound for Uwajima from Kubokawa Station and get off at Ekawasaki Station. From there, take a bus bound for Nakamura Station, get off at the 'Kuchiyanai' stop, and walk about 15 minutes.
Local bus timetable
From Nakamura Station: 6:41 am / 12:45 pm / 16:18 pm
From Ekawasaki Station: 7:00 am / 13:05 pm / 16:45 pm
OPTIONS
Notes
Reservations open three months before your desired date; earlier requests cannot be accepted.
Minimum age to participate is 8 years old.
Please come in clothes you do not mind getting soiled.
Please bring your own lunch and drinks: the restaurant near the workshop closed in 2022 and there are no alternatives within walking distance.
Between June and September the workshop temperature rises significantly; bringing extra water is recommended.
Depending on the number of participants and the level of finish of your knife, the blade may be completed at the workshop after your departure and sent to you by post.
Round-trip hotel transfer by car is available for guests staying in Shimanto City: ¥6,000 per group (pickup 08:30, maximum 3 passengers). Please request this in advance.
Families with children aged 8 or older who wish to join the workshop are welcome to contact us directly through the contact page for booking arrangements.
Meeting Point
WORKSHOP KUROGANE, Kuchiyanai, Nishitosa, Shimanto City
944 Tennousann, Kuchiyanai, Nishitosa, Shimanto City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan.
What's included:
Blacksmithing workshop with Prof. Hayashi at WORKSHOP KUROGANE
English-speaking guide
Complete equipment set (work clothes, protective glasses, raw materials, tools)
Your finished kitchen knife to take home
Photos of tour participants
Local tax
What's not included:
Lunch and drinks
Transportation to and from the workshop
Free cancellation up to 8 days before the experience starts (local time)
Private experience
1
-
4
Participants
Kochi
From ¥50.000 /person
8 hours
Traveler Photos
From ¥50.000 /person
8 hours
Kochi