Kiku Matsuda is one of the most renowned handmade knife makers in contemporary Japan, thanks to his exquisite family grinding skills.
His father opened a small workshop for knife grinding in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture in Japan. When he was 15 years old, he followed his father to learn the skills of blade grinding and polishing. Now, at the age of 73, his handmade grinding skills are comparable to the most advanced grinding machines in the world. Through his skillful techniques and unique skills, he can perform 3D grinding on the blade, achieving any effects such as concave, hollow, flat, clam (convex), curved, double or triple grinding chips. He once said that his fingers can automatically move according to the mental image in his mind. In addition, the works of Kiku Matsuda also possess an artistic sense that machine-made knives can’t match. This kind of handmade skill full of vitality makes each work uniquely charming.
Moreover, in the final finishing step of each knife, we engrave Mr. Kiku Matsuda’s signature, the character “菊” (which means “chrysanthemum” in Chinese and is part of his name), to show that Mr. Matsuda himself has completed the knife.
