Master Shin In-Young: Korea’s Living Blacksmith Tradition

Master Shin In-Young at the forge in Anseong, South Korea
Heavy Chef's Knife hand-forged by Master Shin In-Young

Master Shin In-Young works in Anseong, South Korea, a city long known for its metalwork, at a forge that traces its history to 1845 and is known as the country’s oldest. He picked up the hammer at 13, drawn to the craft by a sword kept by his brother-in-law, the forge’s fourth master, and less than four years later, at 17, he became its fifth.

A living cultural treasure

Gyeonggi Province designated him Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 60, and each blade carries that number. He is described as the only smith in Korea still able to join two irons of different hardness using clay, the old method behind his edges, and he has kept alive techniques that were otherwise lost.

“Master Shin In-Young keeps the old methods going.”

LoftModern, inside the Anseong forge

Ironwork for a national landmark

When Seoul’s Sungnyemun gate was rebuilt after the 2008 fire, he made 270 of its 411 iron scale fittings by traditional methods and led the smiths who produced its iron hardware: 31 kinds, more than 37,000 pieces. He also forged tools for the restoration of the Mireuksa stone pagoda in Iksan.

The kitchen and the garden

Today the forge’s next generation runs the business while he keeps the old methods going. His Heavy Chef’s knife, Sashimi and bread knife are forged from carbon steel and fitted with wooden handles; in the garden, the sickles, winged hoe and trowel come from the same tradition as the farm tools Anseong has made for generations.

Recognition
  • Gyeonggi Province Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 60
  • Sungnyemun gate restoration: 270 of its 411 iron scale fittings
  • Tools for the Mireuksa stone pagoda restoration, Iksan

Shop Master Shin In-Young at LoftModern

15 pieces across 1 designs, ready to order

Heavy Chef's Knife by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Heavy Chef's KnifeFrom $300Shop now→All-Purpose Kitchen Knife by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged All-Purpose Kitchen KnifeFrom $210Shop now→Slim Sashimi Knife by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Slim Sashimi KnifeFrom $240Shop now→Non-Serrated Bread Knife by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Non-Serrated Bread KnifeFrom $310Shop now→Flat-Blade Paring Knife by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Flat-Blade Paring KnifeFrom $170Shop now→Curved Paring Knife by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Curved Paring KnifeFrom $190Shop now→Wide-Blade Sickle by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Wide-Blade SickleFrom $160Shop now→Winged Garden Hoe by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Winged Garden HoeFrom $150Shop now→Garden Trowel by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Garden TrowelFrom $170Shop now→Small Kitchen Knife by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Small Kitchen KnifeFrom $150Shop now→Straight-Edge Vegetable Knife by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Straight-Edge Vegetable KnifeFrom $210Shop now→Slim Spring-Steel Sickle by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Slim Spring-Steel SickleFrom $140Shop now→Three-Tine Hand Cultivator by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Three-Tine Hand CultivatorFrom $175Shop now→Garden Hand Fork by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Garden Hand ForkFrom $170Shop now→Carving Knife & Fork Set by Master Shin’s Anvil, hand-forged carbon steelHand-Forged Carving Knife & Fork SetFrom $620Shop now→

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Sources: LoftModern product listings for Master Shin's Anvil; Kyeonggi Ilbo profile of Shin In-young (2023); the producer profile published by Ameico, the brand’s US importer.