Ernest Emerson
American knifemaker and martial artist
歐內斯特·埃默森 · アーネスト・エマーソン
- Born
- 7 March 1955, Wisconsin
- Citizenship
- United States
- Sport
- karate
- Occupation
- martial artist, karateka, businessperson, inventor, knife maker
Ernest R. Emerson (born March 7, 1955) is an American custom knifemaker, martial artist, and edged-weapons expert. Originally an engineer and machinist in the aerospace industry, Emerson became a knifemaker by producing knives for a martial arts class and making art knives early in his knifemaking career. In the 1980s he became better known for his combat knives and popularizing a style of knife known as the Tactical-folder.
In order to secure military contracts, Emerson eventually founded Emerson Knives, Inc a production company to mass-produce his designs in 1996. Emerson's knives have been displayed as museum pieces, designed for use by Navy SEALs and used by NASA in outer space.
Emerson's knives have been featured in films and novels, due to their association with military units. This has furthered their popularity with collectors.
Emerson is an accomplished martial artist who has developed a combatives system, Emerson Combat Systems, which has been taught to police officers, military units, and civilians.
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q3057151 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.