I am a perfectionist in my work. My true love is Mosiac Damascus, but I also have a long history in the martial arts and a great love of traditional Japanese Blades. I have made several of these wonderfully designed blades over the years totally by my hand including the sheaths and fittings. You have to realize in life you have some limits. The level of expertise required to make historically correct work takes years to develop. I realized I did not have the time or the desire to learn another totally different craft. I had decided to give up the study and production of these special blades. Then I met Wally Hostetter. Wally is a master of Japanese restoration work and a collector of Japanese blades as well as a very proficient martial artist. His skill in reproducing the traditional Japanese lacquer work is as good as anyone in the world. Wally is a master of his craft. His work equals any of the past Masters and he is constantly improving. I knew it was too long of a learning curve for me to begin to work at his level on the fit and finish of traditional work.

I rarely work with other people on my projects. In the last two years I have worked closely with Wally Hostetter on my Japanese blades. I love forging the steel and bringing the blades to life. True reproductions not some Americanized version require a lot of intense study and skills to reproduce. You really need to cut with the Japanese blade to understand the tradition as well as the proper design of the blades. Wally and I both do traditional Japanese martial arts using these exceptional blades.

I have met two people in my 25+ years as a knifemaker who I could work with in my shop. Wally is one of those exceptional talents that understands the commitment I have to perfection. I really enjoy creating the blades, and Wally enjoys the art work in the proper handles, sheaths and fittings. Wally is also a damn fine bladesmith in his own right. He has studied with Don Fogg and myself. We only make traditional blades from big to small. If you have an interest in one of these works of art I would be happy to quote you a price. We normally make four or five of these pieces a year. All of them are copies of historical designs. Every detail is traditional from the paper pillows in the handle wrappings to the proper shape and hamon design for the type and period of the blade. No parachute cord, epoxy or chisel points to be found here. If you want the real thing, we will make it. If you want something else there are plenty of guys making the other stuff. All work is signed on the tang.

The following pictures will show a range of our work. The pictures you see here are thumbnails, if you would like to see a larger picture just press on the thumbnail. If you have any questions or would like to order just send e-mail to: steveschwarzer@gbso.net with the subject "Japanese Blades".

Steve Schwarzer
2003