You can make your own knife in Japan, whether you’d like to forge a blade with a blacksmith or finish a kitchen knife to use at home. Those are quite different experiences, so I recommend choosing based on what you want to do yourself. If you enjoy cooking, Wada Shouten in Sakai, Osaka lets you sharpen a kitchen knife and attach its handle, learning skills you can use to care for it afterward.
If you’re looking forward to hammering heated steel, I suggest Masahiro Tantojo near Kyoto, where you’ll make a small utility knife with a swordsmith. You’ll need about 4 hours for the class, plus time to travel there. For someone who wants to spend most of a day on the craft, Asano Kajiya in Gifu takes you through the main stages from forging to finishing.
- Choosing a Knife-Making Workshop
- Comparing the Seven Workshops
- Wada Shouten: Finish a Kitchen Knife in Sakai
- Natural Whetstone and Hone Museum: Learn to Sharpen in Kameoka
- Kanetaka Hamono Rouho: Forge a Knife in Central Kyoto
- Masahiro Tantojo: Make a Small Knife with a Swordsmith
- Studio NIN: Small-Group Forging in Kyoto
- Kikyo Hayamitsu: Visit a Swordsmith in Hyogo
- Asano Kajiya: Spend a Day Making a Knife in Gifu
- Booking and Preparing for Your Workshop
- Taking Your Knife Home
Some links on YavaJapan are affiliate links. If you book or buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support the site, and I only link to places, stays, and experiences I genuinely think are worth recommending.
Choosing a Knife-Making Workshop
The knife you take home may be quite different from the one you use in your kitchen. A kogatana (small utility knife), for example, suits jobs such as cutting paper or sharpening pencils. If you want a knife for preparing dinner, check the type of blade you’ll make, as well as the parts of the process you’ll do yourself.
Group size and language support also affect how much time you can spend talking with the artisan. Several of these workshops are offered through Wabunka, which works directly with artisans and other hosts to create cultural experiences for international visitors. They focus on private experiences and experiential stays, with an interpreter when needed so you can follow the explanations and ask questions. There are exceptions to the private format, including Masahiro’s workshop, which can include other guests.
I’ve worked with Wabunka as part of my work in the Japan travel industry and know them personally. In my opinion, they offer the best cultural experiences I’ve come across in Japan. I regularly recommend them for the chance to spend time with an artisan and learn about their work, though their private sessions can be expensive. If you’re happy joining other travelers, a group workshop may suit your budget better.
Comparing the Seven Workshops
| Workshop | Location | What You’ll Work On | Time to Allow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wada Shouten | Sakai, Osaka | Kitchen knife sharpening and handle fitting | 2 hrs |
| Natural Whetstone and Hone Museum | Kameoka, west of Kyoto | A sharpening stone and kitchen knife | 2 hrs, plus travel |
| Kanetaka Hamono Rouho | Central Kyoto | Forging a knife; finished work shipped later | 1 hr 30 min; optional activities extra |
| Masahiro Tantojo | Kameoka, west of Kyoto | Forging a small utility knife with a swordsmith | 4 hrs, plus travel |
| Studio NIN | Yase, northeastern Kyoto | Forging and finishing a small knife | About 3 hrs, plus travel |
| Kikyo Hayamitsu | Aioi, Hyogo | Making a small knife at a swordsmith’s forge | Depends on the course; allow for travel |
| Asano Kajiya | Hashima, Gifu | Forging a knife through the main stages | Most of a day |
Group size and optional extras can change the price substantially, so compare the total for your party on each booking page. If the workshops you want are beyond your budget, chopstick making is another way to make something you’ll use at home. My guide to cultural experiences in Japan has other crafts to consider too.
Compare the knife-making workshops by region so you can see which ones fit naturally into your Japan route.
Wada Shouten: Finish a Kitchen Knife in Sakai
At Wada Shouten, you’ll work on sharpening and fitting a handle to an existing blade. In Sakai, south of central Osaka, different artisans traditionally handle different stages of knife production. This workshop introduces you to the finishing work that turns the blade into a kitchen knife, rather than forging it yourself.
The 2-hour private experience includes a visit to the nearby knife museum and an English-speaking guide. You can choose from three kitchen knife types and take yours home that day. I recommend it if you’d enjoy learning to maintain a knife you cook with regularly. Name engraving is available too, but needs to be arranged in advance.
Here’s the video I made about the workshop, which shows what the session involves:
Natural Whetstone and Hone Museum: Learn to Sharpen in Kameoka
For a closer look at sharpening, consider the Natural Whetstone and Hone Museum in Kameoka, west of Kyoto. Here, you prepare your own whetstone, also called a hone, and learn to use it to sharpen a kitchen knife. You take both home, so you can keep practicing afterward.
Museum director Aki Tanaka leads the private tour and speaks English, giving you the opportunity to ask about the stones as well as the sharpening technique. The experience lasts 2 hours and includes knife personalization. I suggest allowing extra time for the journey out of Kyoto, since the museum is in Kameoka rather than the city center.
Kanetaka Hamono Rouho: Forge a Knife in Central Kyoto
Kanetaka Hamono Rouho lets you try forging without leaving central Kyoto. The smithy is behind its cutlery shop in the Oike area, making it a good choice if you want to work with a blacksmith but have limited time for a trip into the countryside.
The private session lasts 1 hour 30 minutes, during which you’ll try heating and hammering the steel with help from the artisan. An English-speaking guide is included to help you follow the explanations.
The finished knife is delivered later, and shipping, a handle, and optional hands-on sharpening are charged separately. Before booking, I recommend confirming that shipping to your country is available and checking the total for the knife you want, including your choice of handle.
Masahiro Tantojo: Make a Small Knife with a Swordsmith
At Masahiro Tantojo in Kameoka, swordsmith Yuya Nakanishi guides you through making a small utility knife, including hammering and choosing its blade pattern. I recommend it if you’re interested in Japanese swords and want to learn from someone who makes them. The knife you’ll create is for small everyday tasks, rather than preparing food.
An English-speaking guide joins the session, and you can take the engraved knife home the same day. Allow about 4 hours for the workshop itself, with extra time for the journey to Kameoka.
You may share the session with other guests, so confirm the arrangement before booking if you want a private experience.
Studio NIN: Small-Group Forging in Kyoto
Studio NIN’s knife-making class lets you try forging in a small group in Yase, in northeastern Kyoto. Over about 3 hours, you’ll work on forging, sharpening, and finishing a small knife alongside other travelers. It’s worth comparing with the private workshops if you’d enjoy learning in a group.
The standard small knife differs from the kitchen knives at Wada Shouten, so check its size and handle options if you hope to use it for cooking. The operator also runs a separate ninja weapon-making class, so be sure to select the knife workshop when booking.
Kikyo Hayamitsu: Visit a Swordsmith in Hyogo
If you’re traveling west of Himeji, Kikyo Hayamitsu’s forge gives you another opportunity to make a small knife with a swordsmith. It’s in Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, despite the Klook title mentioning Osaka. I suggest checking the journey to the forge before choosing a session time, as this isn’t an activity in central Osaka.
You can choose between different knife-making courses, including one using tamahagane, the traditional steel used for Japanese swords. When comparing them, check the duration and whether English instruction or an interpreter is included, so you know how you’ll communicate with the swordsmith.
Asano Kajiya: Spend a Day Making a Knife in Gifu
I recommend Asano Kajiya if you want to give most of a day to making a knife. At the workshop in Hashima, Gifu Prefecture, you’ll work through the main stages from forging to finishing, with more time devoted to the craft than in the shorter classes.
The knife-making experience takes about 5 to 6 hours, including a lunch break. The Rakuten package includes lunch and pickup and drop-off at Gifu-Hashima Station on the bullet train line, so plan your train journey around the pickup time in your confirmation.
Booking and Preparing for Your Workshop
If there’s an artisan you’re particularly looking forward to meeting, I recommend checking availability a couple of months ahead. Smaller workshops may need to confirm with the host before accepting a booking, so keep nearby travel plans flexible until your session is confirmed. The cancellation terms are worth reading before you pay, especially if you’re arranging a separate journey for the workshop. My guide to what to book in advance for Japan explains how I prioritize these bookings.
If you’re traveling with children or someone who wants to watch, check the minimum age and whether non-participating companions can attend. Forging can involve standing and hammering for some time, so let the host know about any physical limitations in advance. They can explain what’s possible for the class you’re considering.
You’ll be working near heat, sparks, and tools at a forge, so follow the host’s clothing instructions and use the protective equipment as directed. Long cotton trousers, covered skin, and closed shoes are sensible starting points. I also suggest bringing water and checking whether food is included if you’ll be there over lunch.
Leave room to ask questions during the session too. You could ask how the artisan chooses steel, which knife suits a particular task, or how to sharpen the one you’re taking home. That conversation is part of what makes spending time with an artisan worthwhile.
Taking Your Knife Home
If you’re taking your knife home by plane, keep it out of your cabin baggage and ask the workshop to package it securely. Check your airline’s requirements for checked baggage, such as ANA’s rules for blades on international flights, along with your destination’s import rules for the exact item. This is especially important if you choose the ninja weapon-making alternative.
If you’re traveling with cabin baggage only, discuss shipping before booking, since each workshop has its own arrangements. You’ll need to know whether it can send the knife to your country and what delivery will cost before paying for the experience.
Comments are closed.