Kisuke Blue 2 Warikomi Petty 135mm

Embracing a rapid rise in popularity for his unique designs and committment to striving for perfection, Shunsuke Manaka is the man behind Kisuke knives. From the sketchbook to the kitchen, he is the sole craftsman behind the entire knifemaking process. Shunsuke engineers these knives using a process known as Warikomi, whereby a glowing hot piece of steel is split, and the core steel is wedged in and forged together. The split steel becomes the outer layers, and the core steel is exposed at the edge. This process produces a stronger, tougher more durable blade.

Here’s a few words from Kisuke on his work:

“I respect the manufacturing method that has been around since ancient times in Japan. I’m proud to build knives from scratch. I think it is important to bring the molecular structure of the blade to the best state as a blacksmith.

In the past, I think everyone was great with building the knives from the ground up, with technology. However, I believe that today Japans reliance on innovation is declining. The process seems to be to simplify and mass-produce to reduce costs. Building from scratch is costly, and it takes 10 years to train craftsmen. So more than 80% of the blacksmiths in Japan today do not build from scratch. I want to change the way Japanese knives are made, I will always be perfecting the craft.”

Specifications