About Yoshimi Kato - Second careers are often the best. I know a burnt-up chef, for example, who owns a few knife shops now. Then there’s Yoshimi Kato, who left his job as the project manager of a construction company to become a blacksmith after marrying Hiroshi Kato’s daughter.

It takes normal apprentices 10-15 years to become pros, but Kato san did it in just 5, and is now running the show. He forges most of the Masakage Kiri, Yuki and Koishi knives that were once his father-in-law’s domain. Yoshimi san also brings a special level of professionalism and care to his customer’s orders, checking each blade for quality when it is finished.