Introducing Knife Craftsmen
- Keijiro Doi -
Master artisan in traditional blacksmithing arts, Keijiro Doi entered the world of Sakai City's traditional knife forging at the age of 19 as an apprentice to his father, Kazuo Doi. Determined to master his chosen art, the younger Doi applied discipline and hard work to achieve the highest level of craftsmanship, perfecting his skill in the most challenging area of low temperature forging and producing the singularly sharp blades indispensable to professional chefs. In particular, Doi has received great praise from top caliber chefs throughout Japan for his masterful use of ao-niko or blue carbon steel #2, an espcially high performance material that is extremely difficult to forge. Doi lives and works by his motto, "A good craftsman never stops learning about his art", and has been improving his technique daily for 60 years. Master Doi passed away at age 90 in November 12, 2017. His son Itsuo Doi continues the family tradition to this day in making knives for Suisin.
- Itsuo Doi -
Itsuo Doi is one of the most recognized blacksmiths from Sakai. He is a traditional craftsman who has been recognized by the government of Japan for his contributions to his craft, part of the Dento Kogeshi. His father Keijiro Doi passed along his technique for forging at colder temperatures, which results in strong edges and easy to sharpen steel. Doi-san is also well known for his expert treatment of ao-niko (blue#2 steel), garnering respect from the finest chefs in Japan.
- Yoshikazu Ikeda -
Master Yoshikazu Ikeda is one of the most respected blacksmiths in Sakai. Ikeda-san started in 1967 as his father’s apprentice and has over 50 years of blacksmithing experience.
- Kenji Togashi -
Kenji Togashi began training to become one of Sakai city’s authorized traditional Japanese blacksmiths at the young age of 20 years old. He is revered as the expert forger for white steel knives, and has received accolades from Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Master Togashi strove to construct a professional grade kurouchi style knife unlike any other. The Kaguya series is hand forged, applying the same low temperature forging technique used for high quality traditional Japanese knives. This method helps avoid the inherent warping issue with any handcrafted knives, and creates a long edge retention comparable to blue carbon steel while using the easier to sharpen material. The striation all over the body of the blade is proof of the low temperature forging and a top quality blade. One can also find these striations on traditional Japanese knives. Other than the Kaguya series, Master Togashi is in charge of many of the products that Korin carries such as Korin’s hongasumi style knives and Suisin’s Densho line.