Nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect: how wabi-sabi turns wood’s uneven grain and quiet asymmetry into the whole point.
Kuba
Kuba is the Pole who ended up teaching Japanese smiths a thing or two — and learning far more in return. He runs the technical side of Oishya (steel, geometry, sharpening) and writes the guides for people who want to understand why a blade behaves the way it does, not just which one to buy.
10 Christmas Gift Ideas For Her (Inspired By Japan)
Kintsugi tableware carries a message: mend the break in gold and show it off. That, plus nine more Japan-inspired gifts for her.
What Makes Japanese Kitchen Knives So Good?
Rockwell 58-65 steel against Europe’s 52-56, a 15-degree bevel instead of 20, and a blade hammered light enough to draw toward you.
11 Best Kitchen Gifts For Christmas
Most kitchen gifts get used once, then forgotten. These eleven don’t, from a Sakai Kyuba knife set to an Aomori Hiba cutting board.
Secrets Of Japanese Business Etiquette: Business Cards
Carry 100 cards for a week in Japan, and never slide one across the table. Giving and receiving business cards without causing quiet offence.
Kids And Knives In The Kitchen – Safety Tips
A magnetic strip mounted out of small hands’ reach, knives dried the moment they’re washed, and knowing when a child is ready for a real blade.
15 Clever Products For The Most Organised Kitchen Ever
Never keep knives loose in a drawer, the blades chip against each other. Fifteen fixes, from over-the-sink boards to magnetic racks on the wall.
How to Set a Table
Fork on the left, knife and spoon on the right with the blade facing in. Three settings, from casual to formal, so hosting stops being guesswork.
How To Ikebana – The Japanese Art Of Flower Arranging
Every stem has a job: ikebana angles branches to stand for heaven, earth and humanity, a discipline monks shaped from Shinto altar offerings.
Differences Between End Grain Vs. Edge Grain x Cutting Board
End grain costs more and resists warping; edge grain is cheaper but harder on your blade. Either way, wood beats plastic on hygiene.
Is It Bad Luck to Gift a Knife? How to Give Kitchen Knives Without Breaking Tradition
Will a knife ‘cut’ a friendship? The old superstition says yes, but hand over a coin (we include a 5 yen piece) and the gift is safe.
7 Tips For Keeping Your Kitchen Knives Sharp And Safe
A honing rod realigns your edge, it doesn’t sharpen it, and the dull knife is the dangerous one. Seven habits that keep blades keen and hands intact.
10 Best Places to Hang A Magnetic Knife Rack
Above the sink, behind the stove, on the backsplash: ten spots for a magnetic knife rack, with a warning about weak magnets and humid walls.
10 Fascinating Facts About The Samurai (And Female Samurai!)
Not every samurai was a man: DNA from the 1580 Battle of Senbon Matsubaru revealed female warriors, the naginata-wielding Onna-Bugeisha.
Getting Your First Japanese Kitchen Knife? Read This.
A pro runs a knife 40 hours a week; you use one for twenty minutes a night. That gap, not edge retention, should pick your first Japanese blade.
A Pole Who Teaches Japanese How To Make Knives
A self-taught blacksmith from Reda, Poland now teaches young Japanese how to forge the knives their own country made famous, one YouTube vlog at a time.
Top 10 Knife Care Tips We Learned From Professionals
Master blacksmiths told us to sharpen four or five times a year and judge the edge on a sheet of paper. Nine more habits that keep a blade honest.
Western Vs. Japanese Kitchen Knife Types
Five blades, two traditions: the chef’s knife, Santoku, paring, bread and carving knife, and where Western and Japanese versions part ways.
Knife Steel Composition Chart
What separates one knife steel from another? A sortable composition table, plus what carbon, chromium and molybdenum each do to edge, hardness and rust resistance.
How To Sharpen Your Kitchen Knife
A dull blade slips and crushes food at the cellular level. Here’s why a keen edge is safer, and three sharpness checks using paper, a fingernail and food.