Crafts / Knife and sword making / Kyoto

Knife and sword making in Kyoto

Six workshops, from a one-hour sharpening class at about US$28 to a private session at a seventh-generation cutlery maker from ¥77,700. Three of them put you at a forge, and two of those send you home with the knife the same day.

Prices checked 10 Nov 2026, in the currency each site showed; Wabunka prices are in yen, the currency it charges in · Some links may earn us a commission

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The short version

If you want the cheapest hour Ninja Sanctuary A sharpening class in Arashiyama. The listing says plainly that nothing is forged. From US$27.85 · Klook If you want to forge in a group studio NIN Three hours at a furnace in northern Kyoto. You hammer out a small iron knife and take it home. From €135 · GetYourGuide If you want a swordsmith's forge Masahiro Tantojo Four hours with a working swordsmith in Kameoka. You forge a small knife and take it home that day. From ¥46,500 · Wabunka

Side by side

Cheapest on the left, as listed. Scroll sideways on a phone.
Group classNinja Sanctuary
Small groupstudio NIN
Small groupReplica sword workshop
PrivateNatural Whetstone Museum
PrivateMasahiro Tantojo
PrivateKanetaka Hamono
Price per person
From US$27.85
From €135
€169
From ¥34,650
From ¥46,500
From ¥77,700
Length
1 hour
2.5 to 3 hours
3 hours
2 hours
4 hours
1.5 hours
Group size
Shared class. Size not stated.
Small group. Klook gives 1 to 10.
Small group. Size not stated.
Your party only, 1 to 6. Priced for at least 2.
1 to 4. Listed as private, but the small print says groups may be mixed.
Your party only, 1 to 4. Priced for at least 2.
Where
Arashiyama, Ukyo
Yase, Sakyo
Demachiyanagi, Sakyo
Kameoka, west of Kyoto city
Kameoka, west of Kyoto city
Oike, Nakagyo
What you do, as listed
Sharpen a kitchen knife on whetstones. The listing says outright that this is not forging.
Forge a small all-iron knife: heat the iron, hammer it, grind, sharpen and polish.
Polish a part-finished blade, add a decorative wave pattern, choose the fittings and assemble. No forging, no edge.
Shape a natural whetstone, then sharpen a hand-forged knife on it. No forging.
Forge a small one-piece knife with a 15 cm blade at a swordsmith's forge. Tamahagane steel is offered.
Watch a smith forge, then tend the fire and hammer the steel yourself. The smiths do the difficult steps.
You take home
The knife, same day
The knife, same day, in a box
A replica sword about 55 cm long, same day
The whetstone and the engraved knife, same day
The knife, same day, engraved by the smith
Nothing on the day. The knife is finished and shipped about 2 months later.
Getting it home
Not stated
Not stated
Not stated
Not stated
Not stated
Shipping costs extra, paid on the day, and only to listed countries. Customs fees may apply.
English
English- and Japanese-speaking staff
English-speaking instructors
English
English-speaking host
English-speaking guide included
English-speaking guide included
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours before
Up to 24 hours before
Up to 24 hours before
Up to 6 days before
Up to 8 days before
Up to 4 days before
Reviews
5.0 from 43 on Klook.
4.9 from 1,106 on GetYourGuide. 4.9 from 136 on Klook.
5.0 from 46 on GetYourGuide.
45 on Wabunka. No star score shown.
21 on Wabunka. No star score shown.
16 on Wabunka. No star score shown.
Book
See on Klook
See on GetYourGuide
See on GetYourGuide
See on Wabunka
See on Wabunka
See on Wabunka

Before you book

Check whether you forge or sharpen. Two of these six are sharpening sessions and one is assembling a replica. Three put you at a forge. Titles use "knife making" for all of them.

How much you do yourself varies. At one forge you hammer for most of the session. At another the craftsmen take over the difficult steps so the finished knife is a good one. Decide which matters more to you.

The sword is a replica. We found no Kyoto workshop where a visitor makes a real full-size sword. The swordsmith's session produces a small knife; the sword workshop produces a blunt display piece.

Plan how the blade gets home. A knife can't go in carry-on luggage. One forge ships your knife about two months later, only to certain countries, and charges for it. The others hand it over on the day, and most listings say nothing about flying with it.

Kameoka and Yase are outside the center. Two sessions are in Kameoka, about an hour from Kyoto Station, and one of those needs a taxi from the station. Yase is at the end of a local rail line in the north of the city.

The six workshops

No. 002-1Group class

Ninja Sanctuary

1 hour · Shared class · Arashiyama Square, 2nd floor · Listed on Klook as "Custom Japanese Knife-Making Workshop in Arashiyama"

The cheapest way in, and a listing that is honest about itself: "sharpening and assembly, not forging from raw steel." There are two packages. In the beginner class you sharpen an everyday kitchen knife that already has a plastic handle; a wooden handle and coloring cost extra, and the listing doesn't say how much. In the custom class you choose a blade and a handle, sharpen the blade and fit the two together. The listing leads with US$27.85. The custom class was US$138.75, shown as 30% off, when we selected it; the beginner class showed no price for the date we tried. Initials are engraved free. Anyone five minutes late is turned away without a refund.

Reviewers liked: Clear teaching on whetstone technique from a named instructor, and the engraved handle.

Reviewers didn't: No recurring complaint in the reviews we read.

Summarized from the reviews Klook showed first (5.0 from 43).

Pick it if you are in Arashiyama anyway and want an hour's sharpening lesson and a knife to take away.

Skip it if you want to forge, or you tend to run late. Check which package the price you see belongs to.

From US$27.85 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on Klook
Visitors in headscarves and gloves watch a blacksmith work metal at a glowing forge Photo: GetYourGuide
No. 002-2Small group

studio NIN

About 3 hours · Small group · 1 minute from Yase-Hieizanguchi Station · Listed on GetYourGuide as "Authentic Knife-Making Experience at a Blacksmith's Workshop in Kyoto"

The only group class here with a furnace and a hammer. You change into work clothes, heat a piece of iron until it glows, hammer it into a blade, then grind, sharpen and polish it. The knife is small, about 13 to 15 cm, and made of iron throughout, handle included; there is no wooden handle. The studio says a full-size cooking knife would take over five hours and cost more than US$400, which is why it offers this shorter version. The same class was from €135 on GetYourGuide and US$159.95 on Klook when we checked. The operator has two studios in Sakyo Ward and may move your session to the other one; staff contact you first. A handle upgrade is offered and the listings don't price it. Under-15s are not accepted on GetYourGuide.

Reviewers liked: Real forging rather than sharpening, friendly instructors with good English, and small groups. People leave pleased with a knife they hammered themselves.

Reviewers didn't: It is hard physical work and arms tire; staff step in to help. Some reviewers wanted clearer details on the handle upgrade, and one found the coaching basic.

Summarized from reviews on GetYourGuide (4.9 from 1,106) and Klook (4.9 from 136).

Pick it if you want to hammer hot iron yourself and carry the knife home the same day, without paying private-session prices.

Skip it if you want a full-size kitchen knife with a wooden handle, or you are not up for two hours of hammering.

From €135 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on GetYourGuide
A craftsman holds a blade beside a forge throwing sparks in a dark workshop Photo: GetYourGuide
No. 002-3Small group

Replica sword workshop

3 hours · Small group · Near Demachiyanagi Station · Listed on GetYourGuide as "Custom-Made Japanese Samurai Replica Sword Workshop"

The only sword on this page, and it is a replica. The listing says so up front: about 55 cm long, for decoration only, with an edge that stays unsharpened. You choose a scabbard, hilt and cord, polish a partly finished blade on a machine, add a decorative wave pattern and put the parts together, with a talk on how a Japanese sword is built and on the Haitorei edict that ended the samurai's right to carry swords. It is run by the same operator as studio NIN. The listing doesn't say how to get a 55 cm replica home, so ask about packing and your airline's rules before you book.

Reviewers liked: The range of colors and fittings to choose from, and instructors who help put mistakes right. One family took part with a 10-year-old.

Reviewers didn't: No recurring complaint in the reviews we read.

Summarized from reviews on GetYourGuide (5.0 from 46).

Pick it if you want something sword-shaped to display, and you'd enjoy choosing the fittings more than working at a forge.

Skip it if you want a real blade or any forging. This is polishing and assembly of a decorative piece.

€169 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on GetYourGuide
Two dark-finished kitchen knives beside two pale natural whetstones on a wooden table Photo: Wabunka
No. 002-4Private

Natural Whetstone Museum

2 hours · Private, 1 to 6 people · Kameoka, about 1 hour from Kyoto Station · English-speaking host

A private visit to a museum of natural whetstones in Kameoka, an area long known for quarrying them. The museum's director leads the tour. You cut and finish a natural stone of your own, then use it to sharpen a black-finished carbon steel knife, which is laser-engraved on the handle with characters you choose. Both go home with you. This is the session for someone who cares more about the edge than the forge. The listing says a minimum charge for two applies, and the museum is about an hour from Kyoto Station. Bookings close four hours before the start.

Reviewers liked: A knowledgeable, friendly host, and how much there is to learn about stones, edges and technique. Several reviewers call it the best thing they did on the trip.

Reviewers didn't: No recurring complaint in the reviews we read.

From 45 reviews on Wabunka. No star score shown.

Pick it if you already own good knives and want to learn to sharpen them properly, with a stone and a knife to keep.

Skip it if you want to make a blade. Nothing is forged here, and it is an hour out of the city.

From ¥34,650 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on Wabunka
A small one-piece steel knife in a wooden box lined with dark blue cloth Photo: Wabunka
No. 002-5Private

Masahiro Tantojo

4 hours · 1 to 4 people · Kameoka, about 30 minutes by train from Kyoto, then about 30 minutes by taxi · English-speaking guide

Four hours at the forge of a working swordsmith in the hills outside Kameoka. You make a kogatana, a small utility knife whose blade and handle are one piece of steel, using the steps a sword goes through: heating, hammering to shape, and setting the pattern along the edge. The smith engraves it and you take it home that day. The listing says the blade can be made from tamahagane, the steel used for swords. It is labeled private, but the small print says the session may be shared with other guests, with one interpreter for the group. A leather sheath is an extra and its price isn't given. Getting there takes about an hour: a train to Kameoka and then a taxi, which the listing warns can be hard to find. Bring a drink, as there are no shops nearby. Minimum age 10.

Reviewers liked: A knowledgeable, approachable smith and a capable interpreter. Reviewers value doing the hammering themselves in a forge where swords are made.

Reviewers didn't: No recurring complaint in the reviews we read.

From 21 reviews on Wabunka. No star score shown.

Pick it if you want to work beside a swordsmith and leave with the knife the same day, at the lowest price of the three forging options.

Skip it if you need a guaranteed private session, or the trip to Kameoka and a taxi each way is more than you want to arrange.

From ¥46,500 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on Wabunka
Two kitchen knives with dark hammered blades and wooden handles, resting on a block among charcoal Photo: Wabunka
No. 002-6Private

Kanetaka Hamono

1.5 hours · Private, 1 to 4 people · Oike, central Kyoto · English-speaking guide

The only forge on this page inside the city, at a cutlery maker now in its seventh generation. You watch a smith at work, then tend the fire and hammer the steel yourself. The listing is frank that your part is limited to basic tasks and that the craftsmen handle the complex steps, so that the knife you receive is a properly finished one. You don't take it home: finishing takes about two months and the knife is then shipped, at a fee paid on the day. Bookings are only accepted for delivery to countries on the listing's shipping list. A handle is an optional extra, also paid on site, and neither price is given. A minimum charge for two applies. The adult rate applies from age 10.

Reviewers liked: A gracious, patient smith and a smooth interpreter. Reviewers say they came away understanding how and why a knife is made the way it is.

Reviewers didn't: No recurring complaint in the reviews we read. Shipping and the handle add to the price.

From 16 reviews on Wabunka. No star score shown.

Pick it if you want a professionally finished knife from a long-established Kyoto maker, and a short session in the city center.

Skip it if you want to do most of the work yourself, or to leave with the knife. Check the shipping list for your country first.

From ¥77,700 per person · checked 10 Nov 2026 See on Wabunka