On this page
What he is after
He uses only the tamahagane from his tatara and, for that steel, has devised a forging method of his own. He seeks very beautiful blades, flexible in the cut and tough.
Of his swords he says that the aura of a Japanese sword cannot be expressed in words, and that they are meant above all to protect, like a shield.
He also makes nihontō-style kitchen knives, with the same folding and the same yaki-ire as a sword.
The forge
A red-hot piece, taken from the hearth. Photo: the smith himself 
Two people forging in the Ōme workshop. Photo: the smith himself 
A piece on the anvil, held with tongs. Photo: the smith himself 
Red-hot iron under the hammer. Photo: the smith himself 
A bar comes out of the hearth. Photo: the smith himself 
The tatara alight. Photo: the smith himself 
The tapping of the tatara. Photo: the smith himself 
Two steel bars. Photo: the smith himself
Gallery of works
A finished yanagiba knife. Photo: the smith himself 
The hardening line of a gyūtō knife. Photo: the smith himself 
Five kitchen knives. Photo: the smith himself 
A santoku knife with his signature. Photo: the smith himself