Craftsman
柴田崇行
TakayukiShibata
10+ years at the stones
The story
Takayuki Shibata sharpens knives for a living and runs three brands while he's at it. He came to the trade sideways: a former Mitsubishi machinist who wanted to bring handmade Japanese work to the world, briefly considered exporting katanas, then settled on kitchen knives in 2007. That became Masakage, built around the blacksmiths of Takefu Knife Village in Echizen. He says he founded it to give young smiths steady work, so the craft doesn't die with the older generation. Today he is president of IRONCLAD Ltd., the company behind Shibata Knives — and the blades under his own Koutetsu label are sharpened by his hands.
Koutetsu is the designer in him: the raked tip modeled on an ironclad warship's prow, the spine polished for your pinch grip, the faces left slightly coarse so food falls away. The sharpening method is just as much his signature — a different grit on each side of the edge, tuned for vegetables and raw fish. He calls the goal kire aji, the taste of sharpness. How the cut feels, not what the edge measures.
The Knives & Stones take
Shibata-san is more than a supplier to us. He hosted me in Echizen once — hanging out with him and his smiths, fishing together, eating far too well. Early 2026 the traffic ran the other way: he and Yu Kurosaki came to us in Sydney, gave tutorials and talks, and thoroughly enjoyed the city. You learn a lot about a brand from how its owner treats people, and those visits are part of why Masakage, Tsunehisa and Ironclad have a standing place on our shelves. When a Koutetsu lands here, I already know the edge is right before I open the box.
— James Zhang, Knives and Stones
In photographs
Shot in the Knives & Stones Sydney store during Shibata-san's visit.
Frequently asked questions
Who makes Masakage knives?
✓ Verified by Knives and Stones · James Zhang · Reviewed 21 Jul 2026
Who sharpens Masakage knives?
✓ Verified by Knives and Stones · James Zhang · Reviewed 21 Jul 2026
Who designs Shibata Koutetsu knives?
✓ Verified by Knives and Stones · James Zhang · Reviewed 21 Jul 2026