Shoichi Hashimoto calls himself a "knife modeler" (造形刃物作家). You might be wondering, what does a knife modeler eat in the winter? Once you've looked through some of his work, it suddenly makes perfect sense: Shoichi is an artist, a sculptor, and a knifemaker. Shoichi always designs his work from scratch, then crafts all the necessary components, forges the Damascus steel himself, and even sharpens the knife—a 100% one-man job.
Born in Hiroshima City in 1982, Shoichi graduated from Hiroshima City University with a degree in design and modeling and continued as a research assistant in metal arts and design.
Under the guidance of his master Takanori Mikami, Shoichi actively crafted incredibly beautiful Damascus knives and won numerous awards over the years.
You might be wondering why I've never heard of Hashimoto. Interestingly, he's a guy who still uses an old flip-flop phone, takes orders by fax, and communicates via email. As a result, he has no social media presence and has little online presence (contrary to the social media trend).
Shoichi often attends knife shows, including the Seki Knife Show, the Tokyo Knife Show, and even the New York Custom Knife Show. So, next time you see Shoichi at a knife show, check out his work and say hello.
While its design is certainly breathtaking, its forging skills are also very high. Its signature 72-layer blue/white core is made by forging together Aogami #2 and Shirogami #2 steel. As you may know, blue and white steel have different heat treatment temperature ranges and the overlap area is very narrow. Shoichi is able to perfectly heat treat the 72-layer core in this narrow region, resulting in a hard blue/white Damascus steel that, in my opinion, "Kireaji (切れ味, cutting-edge feel) is second to none."
Some of Shoichi's work can only be described as "extravagant." Being able to come up with such bold designs is one thing; executing them with such a high level of detail and finish is simply breathtaking.
This piece is probably the most beautiful I've ever received at the store! It's simply stunning!
Shoichi Hashimoto calls himself a "knife modeler" (造形刃物作家). You might be wondering, what does a knife modeler eat in the winter? Once you've looked through some of his work, it suddenly makes perfect sense: Shoichi is an artist, a sculptor, and a knifemaker. Shoichi always designs his work from scratch, then crafts all the necessary components, forges the Damascus steel himself, and even sharpens the knife—a 100% one-man job.
Born in Hiroshima City in 1982, Shoichi graduated from Hiroshima City University with a degree in design and modeling and continued as a research assistant in metal arts and design.
Under the guidance of his master Takanori Mikami, Shoichi actively crafted incredibly beautiful Damascus knives and won numerous awards over the years.
You might be wondering why I've never heard of Hashimoto. Interestingly, he's a guy who still uses an old flip-flop phone, takes orders by fax, and communicates via email. As a result, he has no social media presence and has little online presence (contrary to the social media trend).
Shoichi often attends knife shows, including the Seki Knife Show, the Tokyo Knife Show, and even the New York Custom Knife Show. So, next time you see Shoichi at a knife show, check out his work and say hello.
While its design is certainly breathtaking, its forging skills are also very high. Its signature 72-layer blue/white core is made by forging together Aogami #2 and Shirogami #2 steel. As you may know, blue and white steel have different heat treatment temperature ranges and the overlap area is very narrow. Shoichi is able to perfectly heat treat the 72-layer core in this narrow region, resulting in a hard blue/white Damascus steel that, in my opinion, "Kireaji (切れ味, cutting-edge feel) is second to none."
Some of Shoichi's work can only be described as "extravagant." Being able to come up with such bold designs is one thing; executing them with such a high level of detail and finish is simply breathtaking.
This piece is probably the most beautiful I've ever received at the store! It's simply stunning!
