Which Blacksmiths Forged Zoro'S Swords Names And When?

My head still does a little sword-twirl whenever someone asks about Zoro’s blades — can’t help it, I’ve been nerding out over his gear since I was a kid marking up manga pages with notes. Here’s the clearest rundown I can give, mixing what’s actually spelled out in the story with the parts where the manga/anime leaves things vague. I’ll flag when the creator gives a specific smith name versus when we only know provenance or lineage.

Wado Ichimonji — This is the big sentimental one: Kuina’s sword that Zoro kept after her death. The series never gives a named blacksmith who forged Wado Ichimonji explicitly on-panel; its origin is simply tied to the Shimotsuki/Shimotsuki-style history of certain Wano swords. We do know it’s an old, high-quality blade that’s been around at least a generation (Kuina’s era) and likely much longer. So for “when,” treat it as a traditional sword made decades or centuries before the current storyline — it’s ancient by the Straw Hats’ timeline but the exact year or smith isn’t revealed.

Sandai Kitetsu — This one is clearer in one sense: its name tells you who made it. The Kitetsu family/school produced a line of cursed blades: Shodai (first), Nidai (second), Sandai (third) Kitetsu, etc. Sandai Kitetsu is the third-generation blade in that line and was crafted by the Kitetsu smiths — the series frames that as a generational name rather than giving a single smith’s personal name. Again, the exact date of forging isn’t specified, but these Kitetsu swords are older, likely forged generations ago, and infamous for their curse and temperament.

Shusui — This sword was a national treasure of Wano and the sword of the legendary samurai Ryuma. It’s explicitly tied to Wano’s forging traditions and long history; its exact maker’s name isn’t given in canon (at least up through the arcs I’ve read), but its provenance is clear: a very old Wano blade, centuries old within the world. Zoro acquired it after the Thriller Bark events and kept it until later handing it back to Wano in exchange for Enma.

Yubashiri — Quick note: this was a lovely mid-grade sword Zoro got in Loguetown early on, but it was destroyed by Kaku. The blacksmith who produced it isn’t named in the story. Timing: a recent production relative to the story’s timeline (i.e., a store-bought blade, not an ancient relic).

Enma — The replacement for Shusui. Enma’s origin is Wano and it was wielded by Kozuki Oden; it’s known for drawing out a user’s Haki and being difficult to control. The series presents Enma as an ancient, famed sword of Wano, with its exact smith unnamed in the pages I’ve read — but it’s definitely a product of masterful Wano craftsmanship, forged long before the current events of the manga.

So: certain swords (Kitetsu line) carry their maker’s family name; others (Wado, Shusui, Enma) are clearly ancient Wano/Shimotsuki-style blades whose exact smiths and forging dates aren’t spelled out in the canon. I love that ambiguity — it leaves room for headcanon and fan lore — but if you’re hunting for page-after-page citations, the manga only gives so much detail. Personally, I’m always hoping Oda will drop a flashback revealing who actually hammered out Wado Ichimonji and Enma; that would be a dream scene to see drawn.

I get a little historian-y when people start asking about the lineage of Zoro’s swords — not because I keep a ledger of names, but because the way these blades travel through people and places is the real story. I’ll break it down sword-by-sword and be explicit about what the manga/anime actually names and what it leaves to inference.

Wado Ichimonji: The clearest fact is that it belonged to Kuina and then to Zoro. Beyond that, canon hasn’t given us the maker’s full personal credit — there’s no panel that says "forged by X in year Y." What we do know is its connection to the Shimotsuki legacy and that it’s an old, high-grade blade. So the "when" is vaguer: treat it as decades-to-centuries old, certainly predating Zoro’s childhood.

Sandai Kitetsu: Here the naming convention tells the tale. Kitetsu is a swordsmith line, and ‘‘Sandai’’ literally means third-generation. So the sword is the third notable blade produced under the Kitetsu name. The series frames it as an heirloom of the Kitetsu reputation — cursed, dangerous, and forged by the Kitetsu school — but again, it doesn’t timestamp the forge date. Expect it to be at least a generation or two old by the time Zoro picks it up in Loguetown.

Yubashiri: Zoro bought this one before the time-skip; it was destroyed in battle with Kaku. It’s depicted as a good, modern blade (meaning made in the recent past of the world), but the series doesn’t credit a named blacksmith.

Shusui and Enma: Shusui is a national treasure of Wano that belonged to Ryuma; it’s ancient and important, and its maker’s name isn’t specified in the storyline, only its provenance. Enma — later given to Zoro in Wano as the replacement for Shusui — is another famed Wano blade used by Oden. Enma’s signature trait (drawing out Haki) is canonical, and its origins tie to masterful Wano forges; the specific smith isn’t named in the narrative I’ve seen.

If you want precise months or years, the story doesn’t always provide that level of detail — instead it gives provenance, lineage, and cultural weight. That’s why Kitetsu is distinctively credited (by family name), while the great Wano swords are tied to place and history rather than individual smiths. I like that — it makes the swords feel legendary, not just merchandise. If you’re compiling a timeline, I’d mark Kitetsu and Yubashiri as relative "newer" (within a few generations), and Wado/Shusui/Enma as ancient, forged long before the current era in 'One Piece'. I’m still hoping for a flashback chapter that names the artisans who hammered these blades into legend.

I’ve got a soft spot for the forging myths, probably because I’ve tinkered with blades in cosplay workshops and can’t stop thinking about the physical craft behind each name. When you look at Zoro’s swords from a blacksmith’s-eye view, two things jump out: named-forge lineage (like Kitetsu) and place-of-origin tradition (like Wano/Shimotsuki).

Sandai Kitetsu — The Kitetsu name is the only one that functions like a blacksmith’s signature in the story. The "Sandai" tag tells you it’s the third in a line, so it was literally forged by the Kitetsu school/lineage. That indicates an identifiable workshop tradition — bladesmiths passing techniques down through generations — rather than a single ephemeral craftsman. The book/anime stops short of giving a precise year, but the style implies an older, traditional forging, likely performed generations prior.

Wado Ichimonji — Mechanically, this sword reads like a classic polished katana with a storied past, and that’s reflected in the narrative: it’s Kuina’s blade, handed to Zoro, and it’s treated like a family/lineage piece. The canon doesn’t credit a smith by name, but the implied origin is a traditional forge related to the Shimotsuki/Shimotsuki-adjacent schools of blades. So "when" is "long before Zoro’s time," with an emphasis on generational legacy rather than a documented forge date.

Shusui & Enma — These are Wano masterpieces. Shusui is a national treasure; Enma is a legendary blade that Oden wielded and that draws out Haki. From a craftsman’s standpoint, both would have been produced by master swordsmiths in Wano’s elite workshops — but canonically, Oda gives us place and pedigree, not the hammer-and-anvil name. In other words, we get the workshop’s reputation without the signed receipt. Yubashiri, by contrast, feels like a newer, store-bought sword (and it was destroyed early in Zoro’s journey), so its forging was recent relative to the main timeline.

Practically speaking, if you want to assign "when" as a blacksmith would: classify Sandai Kitetsu as an older traditional blade from the Kitetsu line (generations ago), Wado Ichimonji as a heritage blade passed down at least a generation or two, Shusui and Enma as ancient masterworks crafted long before the current storyline, and Yubashiri as a comparatively modern blade. I always end up daydreaming about the forges that made Enma and Shusui — those heat, hammer, and fold scenes would make my weekend cosplay workshop into a pilgrimage.