Crossed Heart Forge

Traditionally crafted knives for people who wish
they could take things home from museums.

available work

Historical Techniques

Hand forged with the heat of a charcoal fire, constructed and finished with historical methods and natural materials.
see the process

Traditional Tools

Human powered hand tools from the time steel is first put in the fire through to the sharpening and final assembly.
tour the forge

Reclaimed Materials

Steel, iron, copper, and brass are sourced from salvage. wood and mounting materials come from found sources.
watch a tanto being made

Truth and elegance in form

“Dave’s work is something I have both followed and collected since I first discovered him. They are works of deep meaning, exhibiting elegant functionality with all of the core classical elements of feudal Japan.

As a collector of high-value antique arms & armour, and also as a three-decade student of Japanese martial arts including the katana and tanto, I first encountered Dave’s work while pursuing non…”

read more testimonials…

Hand forged tools for adventure
crafted from natural materials

Tools for Satoyama

A charcoal forged blade, water quenched with clay, sharpened with waterstones, and finished simply and humbly in the age-old style of farm and foresting tools used in managing satoyama, the borderlands between village and wilds.

The subtle and rustic appearance of hammer marks on the blade and carved wooden handles finished with natural urushi lacquer–like hand-hewn beams in a kominka farmhouse darkened by smoke drifting up from the irori hearth.

see available work…

Heirloom tanto, traditionally
crafted in the classical style

Classical Tanto

Traditionally crafted charcoal forged classical style heirloom tanto, made by hand from reclaimed and natural materials using 13th century techniques and the aesthetic of beautifully simple design, based on the Japanese sword.

Highlighting the potential for creative transformation in discarded objects and working within the constraints of the classical tanto form and nihonto handle mounting technology, crafting on a foundation of 13th century aesthetic and technique.

see available work…

2011-2020: A Decade in Review

Portfolio Book

This documentary book project is the result of many weeks of editing and design work and can be enjoyed by the collector, enthusiast, and craftsman alike.

It contains over 200 photos and highlights more than 30 knives spanning the past decade of work at Crossed Heart Forge since relocating from Japan in 2011. Hardcover, A4 landscape coffee table size, full colour, 92 pages, inspiring quotes.

read more about the project

“It arrived today—absolutely gorgeous book filled with beautiful photos and very inspiring work!”

Netherlands

“Thank you for the beautiful book! I love your work, and this book gives me a little peek behind the scenes and a lot of inspiration. Glad to have this one on my bookshelf.”

Canada

“Thank you for your beautiful works. I’ve just ordered the book. I’m really looking forward to seeing it.”

Japan

“Just got my copy. Absolutely stunning book. Now all I need is to accompany it with one of your blades!”

USA

「カナダから届いた美しい本、見事な仕事。」

Japan

“I love the book so much I purchased an additional copy for my sensei.”

USA

Includes photos of forges and workspaces since moving from Japan in 2011, a tanto section with full spreads and specifications for ten featured works along with photos of several others, a section on outdoor knives and the Tools for Satoyama project, an almost 60-photo visual process overview, a selection of forging photos taken by photographer Jordan Wende, overview articles on charcoal making and yaki-ire, and a basic tanto glossary and list of sword terminology.

order the portfolio book here


“Materials are the most perfect medium for the experience which shall illuminate the soul and ripen the mind: for they oppose your effort, and against that

beneficent and lovely resistance

you work out your ideas, with patience, with forethought, with skill, with pride, with self-revelation.”

– Edward Yeomans, Shackled Youth, 1921

  • Field & Stream

    Field & Stream

    Both the Kirimaru Field Kotanto and the Sakura Stream Kotanto were made as a commemorative pair from the same piece of reclaimed 1965 Series 2a Land Rover leaf spring steel. The handles and scabbards were also cut from the same block of reclaimed wood, and even the silk storage bags were sewn from the same…

  • Kirimaru Rover Field Kotanto

    Kirimaru Rover Field Kotanto

    A rover kotanto with a charcoal-forged 1965 Series 2a Land Rover leaf spring steel blade, water quenched with clay and sharpened with waterstones, a small knife that has the foundation of the Japanese sword, a simple wooden mounting accented with a detailed sword part. The subtle and rustic appearance of hammer marks on the blade…

  • 2016-2025: Tools for Satoyama Portfolio Book

    2016-2025: Tools for Satoyama Portfolio Book

    A lovely large-format visual exploration of fields, forests, architecture, views, and textures curated during time spent in rural Japan over the past decade, interspersed with workshop process photos and finished knives from the Tools for Satoyama project by Crossed Heart Forge on Vancouver Island. This project is the result of many weeks of editing and…

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