My fascination begins long before a knife takes shape. I want to understand the steel from its
beginning. I have built tatara furnaces from natural clay collected from the ground and smelted my
own tamahagane using iron ore and pine charcoal. That connection with the material follows me
through every stage of making a blade. Each finished knife carries the history of the fire, the forging,
and the hands that shaped it.
I draw on the traditions of Japanese swordmaking, bringing the careful folding, forging, and hardening
associated with the katana into kitchen knives. I find deep satisfaction in watching the steel reveal its
character: the grain emerging through polishing, the hardening line becoming visible, and a rough
piece of metal becoming a precise tool.
This work asks for patience and complete attention. It keeps me curious, challenges my understanding,
and gives me a reason to return to the forge. Earning a living makes it possible to continue, but the
desire to make, understand, and improve is what drives me. My passion lives in the process as much as
in the finished blade.
Through MG Forge, I want to share that passion and bring the old traditions of Japanese steel into
everyday life. My mission is to make this craft approachable through something people can hold,
appreciate, and use. A kitchen knife gives these traditions a place in the preparation of a meal and the
familiar rhythm of daily cooking.
That is what useful art means to me: beauty expressed through purpose. A knife should please the eye,
feel natural in the hand, and bring satisfaction with every cut. Its meaning grows through use, care, and
the years it spends with its owner.
Every knife I make carries part of my journey: ten years of learning, a love of traditional steel, and a
commitment to keeping these techniques alive through practice. I hope the person holding it feels the
care behind it, discovers something of the craft, and gives the blade a place in their own life, where its
story can continue.
