Jonas Johnsson

For Jonas Johnsson, forging kitchen knives is meditative work. He talks about the practice in terms of joy, the quiet satisfaction of making something beautiful that also performs, and that orientation runs visibly through Isasmedjan's output. Drawing on both Japanese tradition and the legacy of western bladesmiths, Jonas has built one of the broadest construction vocabularies in contemporary European bladesmithing — moving fluently between differentially hardened Honyaki, wrought iron San Mai and Go Mai, stainless clad composites, Damascus and Damasteel cladding, and the demanding discipline of mizu honyaki mirror polish, all worked through his own forge in Kyrkhult, southern Sweden.

The steel choices are equally wide. Jonas is a strong supporter of locally produced Swedish steels — 26C3 "Spicy White", RWL34 and Damasteel — alongside Apex Ultra, traditional Japanese carbons such as Aogami and Shirogami, and a broad range of other premium options sourced from around the world. His handle work is just as distinctive as his blade work: he is widely recognised for his stacked birchbark handles, often built from birchbark he harvests himself from the woods around his workshop, and paired with bog oak, oosik, eucalyptus burl, or hardwoods such as Macassar ebony, ziricote and Tasmanian blackwood, finished with brass, stainless or German silver fittings. The brand name Isasmedjan translates roughly as Hill Forge, after the Isabackarna — the Ice Hills — region around Kyrkhult.

A signature detail rewards close looking. Owners of an Isasmedjan knife may find hand-engraved runes on the reverse side of the blade, typically spelling Isa Smedjan itself, a small mark that ties each piece to its maker and its forge. Beyond the solo work, Jonas is a founding member of the Birch & Bevel brand and a regular contributor to Modern Cooking's MCx Design Studio. His Honyaki forging has paired with master sharpener Naohito Myojin on a celebrated series in 26C3 "Spicy White"; his collaborations with Benjamin Kamon have moved through other construction types and steels; and the Krichbaum × Johnsson MCx release pairs his work with Austrian bladesmith Simon Krichbaum in Damasteel "Björkmans Twist". For Modern Cooking, Isasmedjan represents a particularly Nordic expression of the values we hold — material integrity, considered geometry, and the kind of refined restraint that only emerges from a maker working at his own pace.