Traditional knife crafting requires at least four skilled craftsmen two weeks to complete a single yanagi knife. Top knife companies can only produce knives at the rate of ten to twelve pieces per day. The knife making process can be divided into four distinct stages: forging, edge crafting, handle making, and assembling. A skilled craftsman conducts the blade through many different steps before it is passed on to the next craftsman. The number of steps varies from knife to knife according to the shape of the blade, the type of materials used, as well as the finishing procedures required. A top-grade knife undergoes upwards of fifty different steps. The following pictures highlight the complex process of making traditional kasumi-style knives.