Yoshikazu Tanaka

Yoshikazu Tanaka is a master blacksmith from Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture — a different tradition from the Sanjo makers. Sakai has its own centuries-long history of knife making, known particularly for single-bevel traditional Japanese blades. Tanaka has been blacksmithing for over 50 years and was certified as a Sakai Master Craftsman in 1996. He works with his son in a small team.

What sets him apart from most blacksmiths in the region is his process. He quenches with pine charcoal — slower and more gentle than other methods. He does not use a thermometer. He reads the temperature of the steel by its color. For annealing, he buries the blades in rice straw ash after rough shaping — one of the oldest methods still in practice. For tempering he uses a temperature-controlled kiln, which is something only a handful of blacksmiths in Sakai do.

He forges around 30 knives a day. Many blacksmiths do 100. That deliberate pace is part of what makes his heat treatment so consistent.

The result is a knife that is thin, precise, and very easy to sharpen. The White 1 and Blue 1 steel he works with responds beautifully on natural stones — which is exactly what drew me to his work. Carbon iron clad — can rust, needs basic care.

At JNS we carry standard Tanaka blades and also our own Kokorozashi versions, finished in the JNS workshop on Japanese water wheels and natural stones with Uchigumori.