Blacksmith Teruyasu Fujiwara

Who am I?

I'm Teruyasu Fujiwara, my real name is Kojiro Watanabe, and I work as a Japanese blacksmith in the capital, Tokyo.

My family has been in the blacksmithing business for over 150 years and I represent, today, the 4ᵉ generation. Originally, my predecessors specialized in making katanas for the samurai, the famous warriors in the service of their lord. As Japan modernized, samurai with their Japanese swords gradually disappeared, and katana-wielding was abolished after the Second World War.

The Teruyasu Fujiwara forge therefore had to change direction, and turned to cutlery, in particular the manufacture of Japanese kitchen knives.

My family's motto has always been to preserve the soul of the katana, and we've managed to incorporate this into the handcrafted Japanese knives we make. The main idea is to forge blades with long-lasting, high-performance cutting edges, so that the knives can be handed down from generation to generation within a family. This proves just how durable they are!

I learned traditional forging techniques from my family and continue to develop them through new ranges of Japanese knives such as Maboroshi and Denka.

My work

My aim is to preserve the authentic aspect of forging by using traditional manufacturing techniques to offer exceptional Japanese knives with remarkable performance.

The blades I forge are made to last, but also to give you an exceptional edge. I work a lot with "wabi sabi" for blade finishing: it's a Japanese concept that celebrates imperfections through authenticity, as well as the beauty of the passing of time.

I specialize in carbon steels such as Shirogami, a Japanese alloy reputed to be similar to the Tamahagane steel used to make katanas. I often include it at the heart of a San Maï structure, laminated with layers of stainless steel.

I forge my blades at extreme temperatures to give them excellent sharpness and durability.

Our favorite knife

KnifeLeader's favorite knife is the Fujiwara Maboroshi 27cm Japanese sujihiki knife!

It features a blade with San Maï construction: its core is made of Shirogami #1 steel and is covered with a layer of softer stainless steel for protection. Its hardness is 62HRC on the Rockwell scale, guaranteeing excellent edge retention and cutting performance.

The Nashiji finish gives it a rough, rustic look, enhanced by hammering in the "wabi sabi" style, which also adds character to your handcrafted Japanese knife.

The practical, western-shaped handle provides an ergonomic grip and perfectly controlled handling for left- and right-handed users alike! It is made from pakka wood, a highly resistant composite material with a natural wood effect. The handle is solidified by 3 stainless steel rivets that hold the full tang blade in place for ideal reliability.

Discover the rest of Teruyasu Fujiwara Japanese knives on KnifeLeader.eu!