Who is Kisuke Manaka?

Kisuke Manaka (smith-name 貴輔) is the fifth-generation smith of Manaka Hamono Tanrenjo (間中刃物鍛錬所), a family forging business dating to 1872. He entered the workshop in 2005 as apprentice to the fourth-generation smith, succeeded as fifth generation in 2014, and renamed the former knife store 間中刃物店 into today's forge.

貴輔 is a smith-name adopted at succession, and it is the name on his work and his official accounts. In 2025 he moved the workshop to Sanjo, Niigata.