Gifu Samurai Sword Town: Japanese Damascus Knife Making

Forge a Damascus kitchen knife in Gifu Samurai Sword Town. Learn sharpening skills and test your creation’s sharpness. Choose your perfect knife to craft.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • G. Sakai Knife Museum - Seki City in Gifu Prefecture developed as a major center for sword making as early as the 13th century thanks to rich deposits of iron sand in the local Nagaragawa River. During Edo period, there were several hundred blacksmiths producing a large number of Samurai Swords and knives. Today Seki is considered one of the…
What's Included
  • Instructor for making knife
  • Damascus Knife set
  • Write your name on the knife
  • Tool for making knife
  • Knife Museum
Additional Information

Craft and Test Your Knife
Under the guidance of skilled craftsmen, you’ll forge a stunning Damascus kitchen knife. Once completed, you’ll test its sharpness by cutting fresh vegetables, experiencing firsthand the exceptional quality of your creation. You may be amazed at just how sharp your knife is!
Learn the Art of Sharpening
Throughout the…

Location
G. Sakai Knife Museum
At Knife Museum which is Canadian style log house just next to G.SAKAI's factory.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(12 Ratings)
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Lori
Feb 13, 2025
A cherished experience - My 19 year old son and I had such an amazing experience making kitchen knives today! Sumi and Yoshi were wonderful instructors they were patient and enthusiastic. In addition to making knives Sumi greeted us and shared with us the traditional way of making and drinking matcha tea! All of this was made possible by our guide Hiro who spent the day with us translating, laughing with us, and bringing us to the museums. We also had a terrific sushi lunch. We left having made new friends with knives that were of beautiful quality. I would highly recommend this experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Craig_l
Dec 5, 2024
Japan trip Highlight - Hiro picked us up at the hotel and transported us to the workshop. He was very generous with his time and later took us to the sward museum and local sward shop. Hiro speaks english well and is a very pleasant fellow. The knife makling was a great thing to do and we were well guided on our task and supervised in every step by Sumi and Yoshi, who were very skilled, patient, and good communicators. Our tasks included knife assembly, polishing and sharpening the blade, grinding the handle, and painting our name in Kanji text on the blade. The workshop also contains a great knife shop where we bought a couple of additional pieces. My son and I recomend you set this activity as a priority on your Japan trip.
Review provided by Viator
Cameron
Nov 15, 2024
Great experience making and learning about knives - We had a great time making our own knives and the team was friendly and happy to have a chat. 10/10 would recommend if in japan
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q380czdanielr
Nov 14, 2024
Fun, exciting and well worth a trip - This workshop was really good. I had some experience with woodwork and metalwork before. I'd assembled and sharpened a Santoku knife. The steel core is VG10, Damascus 37 layer from Fukui region. The shop CNC cuts the metal and provides with the building kit for your knife. This is accessible for most people without prior handicraft skills. I was alone during my visit. I was gifted a cutting board. I made an additional purchase after that. The translator and the workshop guide were very friendly and I had a really good time. Please check Google maps route suggestion before driving the last part. Google maps took a route through the residential streets which was suboptimal. 10/10 would recommend to a friend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_u
Oct 14, 2024
This class was very fun... - This class was very fun and entertaining. The hosts are wonderful! The location is a bit off the beaten track but well worth the effort to find.
Review provided by Viator
Joelt7777
Oct 2, 2024
A worthwhile experience - It was a really great experience overall. Would recommend to anyone interested in making their own knife. It's quite hands-on and the staff are very friendly. They also add in some thoughtful cultural aspects that were appreciated. There are a few choices of handles, types of knives etc you also get to etch something unique into the knife
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trouchardc
Oct 2, 2024
Hiro is our hero! ♥️ - An incredible initiation to blacksmithing with a team of professionals all more friendly than each other. We were taken to a delicious local omurice restaurant on lunchtime 😋. Once the forge was complete, Hiro invited us to visit a Buddhist temple overlooking the city of Seki where it is possible to ring the bell, which is very rare in Japan. His kindness and hospitality really made this experience incredible and I can only advise people who love blacksmithing and local tradition to take the plunge and try this experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C6629vo_
Sep 30, 2024
Mist have - Amazing experience They are so nice and want to explain about the area and its. History As well And the best thing You come home with an amazing japnese chef knife that you helped to make
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M733xdemilyb
Jul 10, 2024
Best part of our Japan trip! - My favorite part of our whole Japan trip! Worth every penny. The hosts were friendly, helpful, and authentic. They went above and beyond to make our trip enjoyable. This was way better than the overpacked activities we did in Tokyo and Kyoto. They picked us up when we arrived, helped us sort out a train ticket payment discrepancy we had, and provided us bottled waters when we arrived. During the activity their instructions were clear and precise. The group was small ( just our group) so there was a lot of one-on-one interactions. After the activities they helped us book and arrive at our next 2 destinations in Gifu which would have taken 3-4 hrs by public transportation. In addition to those planned activities, they asked us what we would like to eat for lunch and took us out to eat, showed us a local temple, and took us to Gifu Castle. All of these attractions were not packed and a lot of fun! I thought this would be a one and done activity but I would definitely do this again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adventure18501683745
May 31, 2024
Authentic experience - Authentic experience, very hospitable and helpful people who manage to convey their passion for their business. Thanks to their hospitality and experience I experienced one of the best moments of my trip to Japan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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February 2025
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