Tsukasa Tokaji keeps alight the smithy fire passed down from his grandfather. He joined the family business after graduating from high school and has been dedicated to knife-making for over 40 years. Taught by his father, he continues to handle every step of the process—from forging to hardening and sharpening—entirely on his own. All of his experience and intuition goes into every single knife.

What Mr. Tokaji values most is “temperature control.” He explains that in every stage—forging, heating, and quenching—even the slightest temperature difference can affect the condition of the steel. In particular, the boundary between the steel and the base metal that appears when the knife is sharpened is a crucial indicator of the precision of the heat treatment. A knife with a clear, beautiful boundary is proof that the steel has been finished in excellent condition. Even the slightest over-tempering causes the steel to “lose its edge,” so discerning the right balance requires the mastery that is only earned over decades.

Mr Tokaji pursues knives that can be used for a long time, valuing not only sharpness but also how fully he can bring out the steel’s inherent properties. Even now, as he receives high acclaim from overseas, he remains steadfast in his stance of “never cutting corners,” quietly preserving Kochi’s blacksmithing culture.