Ryugado Tokuzo Forging Workshop

Our Own Forging Workshop

Ryugado, the Home of Tosa Forged Blades,
where we began our journey in the tradition of forging

In 2025, we established our own manufacturing workshop, Ryugado Tokuzo Forging Workshop, in Ryugado, one of the representative production areas of Tosa Forged Blades, located in Sakagawa, Tosayamada, Kami City, Kochi Prefecture.

Ryugado is a place home to a magnificent cave shaped by nature over countless years. It is also a land where the tradition of Tosa forging, shaped by generations of craftsmen who have continued to work with fire and steel, lives on.

Here, Tokuzo has established a new base for forging.

By having our own forging workshop, we can work directly with the subtle changes in the materials and the fire, taking responsibility for the knife-making process from the very beginning.

This work is not only about carrying on a tradition, but also about taking a step toward passing it on to the next generation.

We will further deepen the exchange of skills and knowledge with the craftsmen who support the Tokuzo brand, inspiring one another and continually refining the quality of our craftsmanship.

Rooted in the land, facing the fire, and continuing a dialogue with the materials.

From Ryugado, we will continue to create knives that embody a firm sense of purpose.

In 2025, one of the leading production areas for Tosa cutlery,
Our own manufacturing workshop is located in Ryugado, Tosayamada-cho, Kami City.

We established the "Ryugado Tokuzo Forging Workshop".

Ryugado Cave is a place that embraces caves that have been shaped by nature over a long period of time.
In this land where the lineage of Tosa swordsmithing, which has continued to confront fire and iron, still thrives,
Tokuzo established a new forging base.

Having his own forging workshop, he works closely with the subtle changes in the material and the fire,
We handle the entire process of making knives from start to finish.
This practice involves inheriting tradition,

This is also a step towards passing it on to the next generation.

With the artisans who support the Tokuzo brand

To further deepen technological exchange and stimulate each other,

We continuously refine the quality of our manufacturing.

Rooting oneself in the land, confronting fire, and engaging in continuous dialogue.
From the land of Ryugado Cave, we create a bottle imbued with unwavering determination.

Our Approach

Bringing Our Customers’ Voices Straight to the Craftsmen

We carefully convey the honest voices of our customers, heard at our stores, to the craftsmen who make our knives. We value both positive feedback and candid criticism as important insights for making the next knife even better, and reflect them in our craftsmanship.

Connecting Our Team with the People Behind Our Craft

Our store staff have opportunities to experience the manufacturing process firsthand and learn the craft directly from the craftsmen.

Through these training opportunities, they gain a deeper understanding of the skills and passion behind each knife, strengthening their knowledge of the products they deliver to our customers while nurturing a sense of pride in and connection to our own brand.

Creating Harmony Between the Expectations of Our Customers and the Vision of the Craftsmen

We recognize our responsibility to respond to the needs of the market, while honoring the craftsmanship our makers aspire to pursue.

By valuing both and continuing an open dialogue, we quietly seek harmony between the perspectives of those who use our knives and those who make them.

Ryugado and Tosa Forged Blades

The area around Ryugado is blessed with abundant water and rich forests.

Water is essential for quenching and sharpening, both indispensable to the work of a blacksmith. The surrounding forests also provided an abundant source of wood for making charcoal.

These natural resources, together with the demand for tools used in forestry and agriculture, gave rise to a tradition of rural blacksmithing and forging that has been passed down through generations.