Shigeki Tanaka is a fourth-generation blacksmith who hails from the city of Miki in Hyogo, Japan, a region known for its production of metalware and hand tools going back many centuries. Tanaka himself descends from a decorated family of toolmakers from the Meiji Period, his lineage seeing great success in both sickle and kitchen knife production. Tanaka trained for several years at the revered Takefu Knife Village in Fukui Prefecture before returning to Hyogo to run his own knife forge.

Under his brand name Shigeki-Saku, Tanaka works alongside a small team forging all his knives by hand. He specializes in both double-bevel and single-bevel knives in a wide variety of steel types like R2/SG2, Silver Steel No.3, and Blue Steel No.2.