Making a Koyoshiya (小吉屋) Kanna Dai (鉋台) - Japanese Plane Block Master Craftsman

In this video, we are in Sanjo, Niigata, Japan spending the day with Mr. Watanabe, the Japanese Master of Traditional Crafts, making a Kanna Dai (鉋台) or Japanese Plane Block. This was an amazing experience where we got a chance to get a behind the scenes look at this master Kanna Dai maker at work. His Kanna Dai are sought after by the top blacksmiths in Japan for their high quality. His Kanna Dai are often found paired with some of the finished Kanna blades in Japan. We had a lot of fun hanging out in his workshop as he processed a Kanna Dai from beginning to end. He explained to us step by step the process of making a Kanna Dai. He made the process look easy. He showed us how to make a single blade and double blade Kanna Dai. Some of these important design features are shared in this video. We learned a lot from Mr. Watanabe and we hope people learn a lot from this exclusive video. We hope you enjoy this video.