Kisuke Manaka (間中 貴輔) is the 5th generation blacksmith at Manaka Hamono Tanrenjo (間中刃物鍛錬所), a workshop founded in 1872 in Kasukabe, Saitama Prefecture of Japan. Kisuke Manaka did not inherit the workshop from his own family, instead he was married into the Manaka family, and eventually became a full-time, professional blacksmith. Since his father-in-law (the 4th generation Manaka) was more a retailer, he was not capable of teaching Kisuke Manaka any blacksmithing skills. Luckily, Kisuke Manaka’s grand-father-in-law (the 3rd generation Manaka) had left a lot of tools and equipment, as well as books and notes on blacksmithing, he was able to teach himself during the process, and had master Tsukasa Hinoura as his mentor.
