The Nakaniida forging process of Mr Ishikawa

Sometimes a blacksmith works in a very specific way when making their knives and it's always fascinating to share a process in a bit more detail beyond the top level information we provide on our product pages and the Nakaniida process used by Michiko Ishikawa to forge his single bevel knives is a little different from typical forging. 

In total there are 28 steps used to create a finished knife including the initial hot forging and a further 3 stages of cold forging designed to try and maximise the hardness of the steel. The first forging step forms the basic blade area/size while the following steps then flatten and shape it into the more finished knife shape. 

All of Mr Ishikawa's knives are single bevel and designed for right handed use and to the best of our knowledge he remains the only blacksmith who makes his knives using this process and sadly when he retires the process will no longer be actively practiced as he has no apprentice to take over his workshop. 

If you're a fan of Japanese knives then this interview from 2018 with Mr Ishikawa is a fascinating watch.