Masakage

Masakage (昌景), Takayuki Shibata's brand

Shop Masakage knives

Masakage is the first original brand created by Takayuki Shibata, aimed at all-round knives with good performance, fit and finish, and the handcrafted look of village smiths.

The name of the Masakage Brand originated from a Warring States Samurai General Masakage Yamagata, and this name carries the hope of Shibata san of creating a versatile brand that excels in all aspects, just like how Masakage Yamagata excels in battle, strategy, diplomacy, public order, and domestic affairs.

The knives from the Masakage Brand are all collaborations between members of the TAKEFU Knife Village and Shibata san, where the forging and heat treating are done by well-known Echizen makers like Yu Kurosaki, Shiro Kamo, Yoshimi Kato or Takeshi Saji. These blades are then hand sharpened at Shibata’s workshop, where they achieve sharp edges and beautiful finish.

The way that Masakage knives are done are pretty much as handcrafted as you can get while being reasonably affordable, and they do display characteristics that are unique for handcrafted knives. Commonly seen on these blades are the forge-tapered spine, elegant, organic surface finish and complex bevel geometry that offer the smoothest cut. And I have to say I really like the names that Shibata san came up with, Kiri(fog), Yuki(snow), Shimo(frost), Mizu(water), Kumo(cloud)... Each lineup gets a poetic name that triggers your imagery about nature, where that image is reflected on the appearance of the knife through a carefully designed fabrication process. As far as product design goes, Masakage is careful.

So Masakage is indeed doing what Shibata san want the brand to do: providing knives that are truly excellent in all aspects. They got great balance and handling, excellent sharpness and edge retention, great look and on top of that, a beautiful name to complete them as integral packages.

Masakage is an original brand of Shibata Knives, the company of Takayuki Shibata in Fukuyama. On his site, Shibata writes that the Japanese blacksmithing scene was grim, with smiths retiring and dying and no one replacing them, and that he felt he had to make his own brand.

The brand takes its name from Masakage Yamagata, a samurai general of the Warring States period whom the site describes as excelling in battle, strategy, diplomacy, public order and domestic affairs. Masakage's earlier site said its knives were made by blacksmiths and hand sharpened by Shibata before sale.

We stock two Masakage lines: Koishi, in Aogami Super with a kurouchi tsuchime finish, and Yuki, in White 2 clad in stainless steel.

“Takayuki Shibata's own knife brand, named after the samurai general Masakage Yamagata.”

Est. 2007 | 平成19年

Known for Knives the brand says are made by blacksmiths and sharpened by Takayuki Shibata

Instagram @masakage

People

Current Head: Takayuki Shibata 柴田崇行

Craft

Known For: Knives the brand says are made by blacksmiths and sharpened by Takayuki Shibata
Steel: Aogami Super, White #2

Location

Address: Japan, 720-2122 Hiroshima, Fukuyama, Kannabecho, Shinyuno−６４−4
Region: Fukuyama, Japan
Coordinates: 34.55509, 133.39127

Brand

Logo

Native Name

昌景

Why Masakage Matters

Masakage is an original brand of Shibata Knives, started by Takayuki Shibata, who writes that he made it because smiths were retiring with no one to replace them. Its earlier site said the knives are made by blacksmiths and hand sharpened by Shibata.

Does Masakage Allow Unsolicited Visits?

Knife Gallery (knife-gallery.com) is the retail arm of Iron Clad. Their shop front is open to the public, however there are no known workshop visits.

Knives by Masakage

Masakage Koishi AS Kurouchi Tsuchime

Koishi(小石, Pebbles)is a line that have been loved by knife enthusiasts for a long time since its creation. Forged and sharpening by Yoshimi Kato, this line s... Read more

Koishi(小石, Pebbles)is a line that have been loved by knife enthusiasts for a long time since its creation. Forged and sharpening by Yoshimi Kato, this line still holds up to its reputation as some of the best knife produced at TAKEFU Knife Village, as well as Fukui. The Koishi Features a beautifully done Kurouchi Tsuchime finish as well as a noticeable taper. These organic appearance not only boasts the hand forging these knives gone through in their creation, but also leads to a beautiful handling experience. The tapered spine provides the blade with rigidity, and the minimised bending can giving the user strong confidence even when cutting dense food. The extra material also shift the centre of mass into the palm, which adds some weight to the blade without making the entire knife front heavy. The subtle surface texture left from forging and heat treatment works along with the polished spine to give the user a firm grip, while the rounded corners all over the knife prevent most of the hot spots from forming. The material choice of Koishi is Blue Super(Aogami Super) with stainless cladding, it's truly a winning formula for a good reason. The Blue Super as a carbon steel is capable of incredible sharpness, and the additional alloy element added to it also let it stands out in wear resistance compare to other typical carbon steels. With a stainless jacket cladded onto it, the attention it required is lowered without sacrificing sharpness, the super thin edge, high performance edge and polishing put on by Kato san would orchestrate the steel into an edge that flow smoothly through most of the food put in front of it. Koishi is a signature line offered by Masakage, and it have continuously been so for many years. For anyone who is on a search for a carbon steel knife with great handling and cutting performance, the Koishi would be one of the strong contender. Very often, its beautiful finish and polished detail would help it win the heart of seasoned chef and knife lovers. Read less

Pros

Excellent performance
Thin behind the edge
Excellent fit and finish

Cons

Prone to rust
A little bit brittle

Sanmai - Stainless Clad Kurouchi Tsuchime

Masakage Yuki White 2 Nashiji

Yuki(雪, Snow) is a simple and elegant line offered by Masakage, Nashiji surface, Migaki bevel with soft kasumi polish on the soft cladding, it's a minima... Read more

Yuki(雪, Snow) is a simple and elegant line offered by Masakage, Nashiji surface, Migaki bevel with soft kasumi polish on the soft cladding, it's a minimalistic design that that aims to display nothing but the organic trace produced by the craft of the blacksmith and the sharpener. This simple silver look almost feels like a gentle snow that takes away colour, leaving just texture and geometry of the blade for you to experience in hand. The choice of steel seems to complement the name too. With Hitachi White #2, you can obtain an extremely sharpen edge on these blades. Although bring prone to rust, the stainless cladding on the outside covers up most of the core steel with Kato san's masterful forging, making it relatively easier to maintain compare to knives with iron cladding. The spine of these knives are lightly tapered, enough to let you know it is a hand forged knife, the thickness if the blade ensure a good rigidity and gives weight to the blade, make Yuki a line with very solid feel in hand. That thickness doesn't reduce the cutting performance thanks to the sharpening done by Shibata san. In the spine shot we can clearly see the thick blade gets thinned down to a edge with a beautiful concave grind. Combining with the aggressive edge you can get with carbon steel, Yuki is excellent in food penetration. As the food reach the Shinogi line, they would also release off cleanly. Fo people look to get an authentically crafted knife, Yuki would be a great option. The hand forging and sharpening feature are strong on these blades while the simple design kept the price relatively affordable. If you are curious about why these knives are beloved by knife enthusiasts and professionals, consider this line as you first step into the world of artisan knives. Read less

Pros

Excellent performance
Great OOTB
Thin behind the edge

Cons

Prone to rust
A little bit brittle

Sanmai - Stainless Clad Nashiji

Frequently Asked Questions about Masakage

Who is Masakage?

Masakage is a Japanese knife maker based in Fukuyama, Japan, established in 2007. They are known for Knives the brand says are made by blacksmiths and sharpened by Takayuki Shibata. Their signature steels include Aogami Super, White #2. Available at Knives and Stones Australia.

What knives does Masakage make?

Masakage produces the following knife lines: Masakage Koishi AS Kurouchi Tsuchime, Masakage Yuki White 2 Nashiji. We currently carry 11 products from Masakage at Knives and Stones. They specialise in Knives the brand says are made by blacksmiths and sharpened by Takayuki Shibata.

Where is Masakage located?

Masakage is located in Fukuyama, Japan. Japanese knife-making regions each have distinct traditions.

Where can I buy Masakage knives in Australia?

Knives and Stones is an authorised Australian stockist of Masakage. You can shop online at knivesandstones.com.au, with free shipping for knives over AU$200 Australia wide, or visit our stores in St Peters (Sydney), Crows Nest (Sydney), Braddon (Canberra) and Prahran (Melbourne) to handle the knives before buying.

Is Masakage a blacksmith or a brand?

Masakage is a brand, not a single forge. Takayuki Shibata (柴田崇行) dates it on his own site to 2008, as his first brand, and gives his reason: "Smiths were retiring and dying, and no one was replacing them. I felt that I had to make my own brand."

The same site says he took up sharpening in 2007, taught by a local cutler, and put bigger orders in to his blacksmiths as sales grew. Shibata's company is Iron Clad, in Fukuyama, Hiroshima.