Home > Tours > Traditional Culture > Make your own kitchen knife with a master blacksmith in Shimanto
Get in touch with the essence of Japanese manufacturing in Shimanto's wilderness!
In this activity you can experience traditional Japanese craft culture through "Kaji".
In a contemporary society that emphasizes digital networks, old handicraft techniques have become far from everyday life.
You can experience blacksmith cutlery production as inherited from ancient times in Japan at "Tatara Iron & Steel Forging Workshop Kurogane," surrounded by the Shimanto River area of Kochi Prefecture, with mountains and river wilderness in abundance.
Imagine crafting your own knife or scissors from steel, using fire and ancient Japanese techniques. You can commemorate your wedding, or remember your trip, through engraving.
The workshop is in Kuchiyanai Village, in the middle of the Shimanto River middle basin, and you can relax leisurely in the river after losing yourself in the making of cutlery. If you are lucky, you may also be able to encounter deer, wild boar, monkeys and other wild animals. Please enjoy the unique experience of Japan from the heart of great nature.
① Consultation on knife making（9:00〜9:30）
② Knife Forging（9:30〜12:00）
③ Lunch Time（12:00〜13:00）
※ Please bring your meals as the restaurant near workshop place closed in 2022.
④ Make shape with belt sander（13:00〜13:30）
⑤ Put the inscription（13:30〜14:00）
⑥ Heat Treatment（14:00〜14:45）
⑦ Sharpening（14:45〜16:00）
【How to go】
① By car
· About 3 hours by car from Kochi City and Kochi Ryoma Airport (about 150 km).
· About 30 minutes by car from Shimanto City center (approximately 25 km).
② By Train and Bus
< Rounte 1 >
· Take a Limited Express Train 'Shimanto' from Kochi station or Takamatsu station and get off at Nakamura station. Take a bus from Nakamura Station (bound for Ekawasaki station). Get off at 'Kuchiyanai' stop, then walk about 15 minutes on foot.
< Rounte 2 >
· Take JR Yodo Line (bound for Uwajima) from Kubokawa station and get off at Ekawasaki Station. Take a bus (bound for Nakamura station) and get off at 'Kuchiyanai' stop, from where it is about 15 minutes on foot.
< 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
· Kitchen knife creation via ancient forging techniques, the experience of making a small knife.
· Observation of the gradual change of steel material as the process progresses.
· Lecture by knowledgeable and courteous English staff, tailored to you by the highly experienced by Prof. Hayashi.
· Peace and solitude in Shimanto's wilderness
· The reservation for the workshop is accepted starting three months prior to your desired date. Reservations made before that period are not accepted, so we appreciate your understanding in advance.
· Please come in clothes that you do not mind getting soiled.
· Since the temperature in the workshop will also rise from June to September in the summer, please bring some drinks.
· Depending on the number of people in the experience and the degree of refinement of the cutlery, we may send it after finishing at the workshop at a later date.
· Please bring your meals as the restaurant available for lunch near workshop place closed in 2022.
· The minimum age to participate in the experience is 8 years old or above.
· If you are staying at a hotel in Shimanto City, we offer a round-trip hotel transfer service by car for an additional fee of 6,000 yen. Please let us know if you would like to avail this service. The hotel pickup time is 8:30 am. Please note that the maximum number of passengers for the transfer is 3 people.
| Price | ¥30,000 / person ¥30,000 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 8 hours (approx) |
| Hours of availability | Start Time: 9:00 am |
| Inclusions | · Training experience |
| Exclusions | · Lunch and drinks |
| Participants | 1 to 4 people |
WORKSHOP KUROGANE
Address: 944 Tennousann, Kuchiyanai, Nishitosa, Shimanto City, Kochi Prefecture, Japan
Ruben Dyball（Australia）★★★★★
Loved every minute of it
The master's craftsmanship and teachings were excellent. Looking forward to taking my son there next time.
Laksmiapril（Japan）★★★★★
Great Experience
Once you got there, it is absolutely worth experience. I enjoyed making a knife with other customers. Mr.Hayashi can speak English well and he was really friendly to not only Japanese but also foreigners. If you are looking for unforgettable experiences, this is it.
Masao（Japan）★★★★★
An Amazing cultural experience in Shimanto!
I participated in a workshop with Master Hayashi making our own knives. The experience was absolutely amazing as we actually got to participate in all steps of the knife making/forging process. The master was so helpful in explaining the techniques we should use for each step and provided perfect guidance along the way. His hospitality throughout the entire experience was amazing and I can recommend this experience enough.
Felix Fried（UK）★★★★★
Amazing time!
I had such an amazing time! Wish I had the time to have done the longer course, Master Hiyashi is a fantastic teacher and just a generally wonderful person! I can not recommend the experience highly enough!
Jet Loosli（Australia）★★★★★
Amazing time!
I enjoyed very much. And a company staff supported me my hotel pick up in the morning.
Katie Lohrasb（Canada）★★★★★
Heaven for a Maker
I loved this experience so, so much! Shimanto is a beautiful, quiet area, making it an idyllic place to do some blade smithing. Hayashi-san is a wonderful instructor, which speaks to how truly knowledgeable he is about his craft. He was able to explain concepts at a basic level that are easy for novices to understand, but when asked about more technical aspects of metallurgy or process, he had perfect answers as well. He has struck a great balance in his instruction to let the students feel as though they're truly involved in the process of creating their blades, yet ensuring the outcome is well-shaped and straight. Watching him work made the whole process seem easy, but I'm sure that what he could do in 5 minutes would take me hours to get right. I loved learning about the practical tricks for identifying the correct temperatures when hardening or tempering the steel. It's one thing to learn about the process from an engineering standpoint, and a completely different thing to learn how to FEEL that process. I think that was my favorite aspect of this class - getting to experience the art in something that I had originally learned about from a technical standpoint. Getting to bring home a new kitchen knife that I helped craft isn't bad either! Omakase Japan made the booking process super easy, and their communication was excellent. I fully recommend both Omakase Japan and Kurogane Workshop to any knife nerd, home or professional chef, engineer, or even just a curious mind - you won't be disappointed!
Brandon Kinard（USA）★★★★★
1 day course
What a cool day! Awesome experience for someone traveling Japan and wanting a proper souvenir to take home. Very nice and helpful instructors who had no problem sharing their knowledge on the trade. Would highly recommend to anyone with interest in leading the craft.
Philipp Ahrendt（Germany）★★★★★
Unique experience in Japanese Countryside
Had a wonderful time making my own custom kitchen knife. Mr Hayashi was very kind in guiding me along the steps of forging. I love the end result and I've already used the knife a few times. Shimanto is also a great town to visit I had a great time meeting a few friendly locals!
Marc Lorita（Spain）★★★★★
All excellent!
We are really pleased with him and with the course, the experience was so beautiful and Hayashi-sensei was really kind! All excellent services, thank you very much for everything.
Jonathan Doti（USA）★★★★★
Lifelong Memory
This knife making activity was a surprise for our daughter age nine and son age seven. Both have been kind of crazy about the "Forged in Fire" TV series--they went nuts when we told them they would actually get to make a knife.
Last summer we climbed Mt Fuji and this activity was equal if not better. There is really no way to fully capture how wonderful an experience it was for them as well as for us.
The staff were professional and also personable--clearly, they love what they do.
Remarkably, they were able to keep the attention of two children for nearly eight hours of heating, hammering, and handling hot metal. All of it was done in perfect safety but yet with full participation of our kids.
Near the end, they spent over 90 minutes for each knife ensuring they were perfectly sharp. They even packaged them in nice looking boxes so we could get through customs at the airport.
The area where the forge is located is also very special and only adds to the ambiance of the day.
If you ever thought about making your own knife then this is the place to make a lifelong memory and a knife that you can use and give to your grandkids. Jon
Jonathan Ludvigsen（Norway）★★★★★
Simply amazing
Thank you for a fantastic day, the absolute best part of our trip. Both Jesse and Nobuyah were fantastic teachers, and their enthusiasm and love for the craft really made it an unforgettable experience. Waiting for the day, we can go back and make another knife.
