About The
Maker
Gavin Coleman has been a professional Knifemaker since 2017 and has brought his unique Japanese influenced style to specialized EDC and Defensive Knives. In this niche his work stands out among others as functional and elegant with a distinctive nod toward to the traditional Japanese aesthetic.
Having an interest in blade making since childhood, Gavin only started serious knifemaking in 2016, having spent some years prior as a self defense instructor in Cape Town, South Africa. As an instructor for Kangal Defensive Systems he trained both civilians and law enforcement in a holistic approach to personal safety. Much of this philosophy is discussed in a book he co-authored and which was published in 2020 titled “The Maul: Preparing for the Chaos of Close Combat”. Widely hailed by experts in the combatives industry, the research phase of the book is what brought Gavin into the knife making world.
During the research phase the authors began to advocate for a specific style of blade called a “Pikal”. While unable to find a commercial, off the shelf example of these unique knives, Gavin opted to make his own. What resulted was his best known design, The Shrike.
Soon, images of the Shrike made their way to social media and Gavin had other practitioners asking him to make Shrikes for them. A knife making enterprise was born in 2017 when Gavin founded Ironside Edge Works.
8 years later, after having made hundreds of knives entirely by hand, and sending them all over the world, Ironside Edge Works reached a natural conclusion and closed in 2025, freeing Gavin up to pursue a new path.
The
Arcadian Philosophy
The Arcadian was established as a solo project for Gavin to begin pursuing deeper into his Japanese influences. The ultimate goal being to forge his own contemporary Japanese Swords.
This has been an inevitable path for some time. After having delved so deeply into the subject for some years, and undertaken the occasional restoration work, Gavin has felt a draw into Japanese blade smithing that simply needs to be explored.
This does not mean forgoing everything else he’s worked on however. His knife making is still a passionate part of his work. Opting for quality over quantity, he still produces some of his classic designs like The Shrike, but with a focus on high quality finishing and artistic detailing. While his knives remain fully functional and purpose made, there is no sacrificing aesthetics for the sake of “user” appeal.
It’s long been a philosophy of his that even highly adorned knives should be carried, just like the swords of feudal Japan which were highly appointed, but no less of a weapon too.
The Arcadian Forge is where Gavin now works, situated in the quiet countryside 2 hours from Cape Town.
Gavin’s abiding philosophy from the beginning was always form and function in perfect harmony. This lead him quite naturally onto the path of the Japanese tradition of making everything, even the most functional elements, as beautifully as possible.
Gavin takes aesthetic inspiration from traditional Japanese themes and modern influences. Pairing contemporary materials with traditional ones has always been present in Gavin’s work, lending a sometimes sci-fi modernist element. This is paired neatly with traditional Japanese themes, and inspiring biblical themes from his Christian faith.
