Experience forging a knife in a traditional Japanese style with an expert blacksmith.
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:
① Handle-less Knife Forging Experience (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
② Petty Knife Forging Experience (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
③ Kitchen Knife Forging Experience
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
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.
Important Shipping Information
Once your tentative reservation is made, please provide the following shipping information:
・Name
・Postal code
・Address (including street number)
・Phone number
・Email address
Please note:
Some countries may have restrictions on shipping knives, so delivery cannot be guaranteed in all locations. Examples include: United Kingdom, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, India, Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Syria, North Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kerala (India).
Even in other countries, customs or local rules may delay or prevent delivery. To be sure, we recommend checking with DHL (or your local delivery service) in your country before booking to confirm the knife can be delivered.
• Experience forging a knife in a traditional Japanese style with an expert
• Personalise your knife with your name
• Learn about the ancient art of knife making from one of Japan's renowned blacksmiths
• The knife will be shipped to your home country address after the experience.
• Wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.
• Wear closed-in shoes.
• Guests must be able to behave safely in a risky environment, so do not bring small children unless you can guarantee their safety.
※Notice for UK residents
Due to restrictions on sending bladed items to the UK, the knife-making experience cannot be offered to those who need to ship their completed knives to the UK. However, workshop visits for observation are still possible. Thank you for your understanding.
※Important Notice
Please note that different countries may have regulations regarding the shipment of bladed items. Unfortunately, we are unable to verify specific restrictions for each destination. We kindly ask that you thoroughly check the regulations for your intended shipping destination in advance. In the event that a knife is held at customs and returned, we regret that we will be unable to offer any refunds, including shipping costs.
| Price | ¥60,000〜 / person ① Handle-less Knife Forging Experience //Extra Charges// ¥2,800 - ¥6,400 ※ Extra charges will be collected on the tour day. |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 - 2 hours |
| Hours of availability | Time varies and will be arranged upon booking. Please contact us with your preferred time. ※ The workshop does not run on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays in Japan. |
| Inclusions | • English speaking guide |
| Exclusions | • Food and drink |
| Participants | 1-6 |
Hotel pick-up.
Autumn English（USA）★★★★★
a top favorite activity in Japan
We did the knife making experience and it wound up a top favorite activity in Japan.
Booking with Omakse was easy and their communication was clear. On the day of the experience, we got to relax while navigating to the knife making shop, as our tour guide picked us up at our hotel. Michiko was our guide and interpreter. She and the knife making master worked incredibly well together to ensure we understood the instructions, answer our questions, and to help us have a memorable time. Michiko helped to make our experience amazing by going above and beyond to show us to a market after our experience and sending us more information on things to do in the area. I would recommend booking with Omakase since our experience was entirely positive and very memorable.
Orhay Adam（Australia）★★★★★
wonderful, educational experience
We had a wonderful, educational experience learning how to forge a knife from a 7th generation bladesmith in Kyoto with Miyo as our guide. Miyo was fun, knowledgeable & very kind during our time together. Thank you Miyo for answering all of our questions & teaching us about your beautiful country.
Monique Rauv（Australia）★★★★★
authentic experience
Michiko-san was an amazing guide and translator. My partner immensely enjoyed the knife forging experience, not only was it hands on but Yamato-san also incorporated a lot of techniques, history and culture. Would recommend it to anyone wanting an authentic experience.
Nicolas Lanzarone（Australia）★★★★★
a lovely experience
My son and I had a wonderful guide in Michiko and a master Metal Blacksmith in Yamada San. A lovely experience and lots of fun. We look forward to using our knives “dragon’s tooth” and “eel’s bite” often back in Sydney.
Ata Taskent（Canada）★★★★★
Recommend it to anyone with absolute confidence!!!
I booked the Double Edged Knife Forging experience and it was one of the best experiences I had in Japan!
If you're coming to Kyoto and would like to experience the culture in a deeper way and indulge in some traditional knife forging, this is the experience for you!
We were accompanied by Misae as our translator/guide and worked with Master Yamada to forge the knife (Master Yamada is a swordsmith/blacksmith coming from 27 generations of Smith's - that is almost 1000 years of experience passed down generation to generation!). Afterwards Misae took us around town and showed us some historical spots as well as some pop culture spots!
The experience, from the knife forging to the guided walk truly was an unforgettable experience for us, and made our last day in Kyoto the most memorable. Master Yamada was super friendly and let us hold some historical swords and weapons they've made and was super helpful during the forging process. Misae was an absolute gem to have on our side, her translation, knowledge, and overall lovely conversations really made the whole experience that much better.
I also ended up purchasing a few knives for family and friends as well (a Damascus steel pocket knife, another traditional japanese pocket knife, and a wood carving knife with a wooden handle and matching sheath) for some super affordable prices! The quality of these knives are apparent from the first look for those familiar with knives/blades.
Long story short, 10/10 would do this again, and would recommend it to anyone with absolute confidence!!!
Christina Carlson（USA）★★★★★
very interesting and entertaining
Masako took my family of four to forge knives with Mr. Yamada and we all had an excellent time. Everyone was friendly and helpful and working through the knife making process was very interesting and entertaining. We can’t wait to see the results of our Japanese steel knives! I highly recommend this experience.
