How To: Cutting Tuna Fillets for Tataki (Seared Tuna Slices)
May 12, 2024
Tuna is one of the few fish the FDA won’t make you freeze. How to slice sushi-grade fillets across the grain for tataki, plus an optional quick-freeze.
The Journal · Stories from Oishya
The Oishya Journal
Stories from the workshops, the table, and the long way around.
Featured · From the Journal
In this issue
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Mastering Cooking Oils: Oishya’s Expert Advice for Health-Conscious Home Chefs
May 3, 2024
Not all fats are equal. Olive, coconut, avocado and canola oils sorted by smoke point and health profile, and which ones to leave on the shelf.
The Art of Hanko: A Japanese Tradition Meets Sakai Kyuba Craftsmanship
May 1, 2024
A hanko is a carved Japanese name seal used in place of a signature. Oishya stamps one on every Sakai Kyuba certificate of authenticity.
The Story Behind Sakai Kyuba’s Bugeisha Illustration
May 1, 2024
The onna-bugeisha illustration on Sakai Kyuba boxes honours feudal Japan’s female samurai, with nods to Hokusai’s Great Wave and the Oishya kamon.
Food Vending Machines: Japan’s Unique Culinary Experience
April 30, 2024
Japan’s vending machines serve full meals, from hot ramen to frozen gyoza, using refrigeration, heating, and robotic arms. A look at automated dining.
The Great Stainless vs Non-Stainless Debate: A Guide to Japanese Kitchen Knives
April 29, 2024
Carbon steel reaches extreme hardness and sharpness but rusts easily, while stainless trades a little edge for low upkeep. How to choose between them.
Choosing the Right Stainless Steel for Your Kitchen Knives: VG10 or AUS10?
April 25, 2024
VG10 holds a keener edge; AUS10 shrugs off more abuse. The composition split behind Oishya’s Seki and Sakai Kyuba lines, and which suits your kitchen.
The Art of Kaizen: How Oishya Upholds a Relentless Pursuit of Perfection
April 22, 2024
Kaizen is the Japanese practice of small, continuous improvement born in postwar Japan. How Oishya applies it to craft and quality.
Beginning Your Journey With Japanese Kitchen Knives: Individual Knives vs. Sets
April 6, 2024
One gyuto or a full set? Where the santoku, bunka and kiritsuke each earn their place before you commit to a matching set.
Nature’s Hidden Gems: 15 Edible Flowers to Enliven Your Cooking
April 4, 2024
Borage tastes of cucumber, thyme blossoms hit harder than the leaves, lavender sweetens honey. Fifteen edible flowers and what each does on the plate.
Why are Japanese katanas curved?
March 22, 2024
The katana’s curve, or sori, concentrates mass toward the tip for cleaner cuts and spreads impact to resist fractures. Why the blade is shaped this way.
How The World’s Most Expensive Japanese Swords Are Made
March 22, 2024
Forged from low-impurity iron sand and folded again and again, a nihonto is closer to ritual than manufacturing. Inside the making of Japan’s costliest blades.
The Art of Japanese Knife Sharpening: Traditional Techniques and Modern Tools
March 19, 2024
The swordsmiths called toko treated blade upkeep as sacred. How that reverence carries into whetstone work and today’s sharpening tools.
The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Sharpening Japanese Knives with Whetstones
March 17, 2024
Coarse 400-grit for repair, 8000 for the final polish. A first go at whetstone sharpening, from soaking the stone to the finished edge.
Decoding the Japanese Knife Grading System: A Comprehensive Guide
March 17, 2024
White steel, blue steel, carbon steel: Japanese grades come down to composition and heat treatment, not brand names. What each one actually tells you.
Why a Marble Mortar and Pestle Belongs in Every Home Kitchen
March 9, 2024
Ceramic mortars soak up yesterday’s garlic; marble, being non-porous, doesn’t. Why it wins on hygiene and longevity, and how to match a pestle to it.
Fermented food: Beetroot Sourdough Drink
March 8, 2024
Four beetroots, water, salt and a week on the counter make a tangy, probiotic-rich drink. Here’s the ferment, its betalains, and how to cook with it.
Okinawa: A Culinary and Cultural Paradise
February 15, 2024
Okinawan food blends Ryukyu Kingdom trade roots with post-war American influence, from Taco Rice and tropical sushi to prized Ishigaki beef.
A Taste of Illusion: Exploring Shokuhin Sampuru, Japan’s Craft of Creating Lifelike Fake Foods
February 3, 2024
Shokuhin Sampuru are Japan’s lifelike fake food replicas, made from PVC to display restaurant menus. Inside the craft and the artisans who make them.
Why is kimchi so healthy + recipe
January 27, 2024
Lactic-acid bacteria, not vinegar, do the work in kimchi, building probiotics and freeing up nutrients. The science, the kimjang tradition, and a recipe.
Introduction to Nagomi: Harmony in the Japanese Way of Life
January 27, 2024
Nagomi is the Japanese idea of harmony and balance, applied to homes, relationships, and meals. How the principle shapes a calmer everyday life.
The Difference Between Chopsticks : Japanese Vs. Chinese Vs. Korean
January 20, 2024
Japanese, Chinese, and Korean chopsticks differ in shape, material, and etiquette. A look at what sets each style apart and the culture behind them.
Why Are Japanese Knive Worth Their Price?
January 16, 2024
What makes Japanese knives worth the price: high-carbon VG10 and layered Damascus steel, task-specific designs, and matching kitchen accessories.
Where Is Damascus Steel Really From?
January 16, 2024
Damascus steel traces back to the Near East around 300 AD, prized for its wavy pattern and strength. Here is the history behind the legendary blade.
How to sterilise jars
December 5, 2023
Before you pickle or bottle jam, the jars need sterilising: wash them, boil for about ten minutes, then air-dry and store clean.
Japanese knives: how to spot the real deal vs. a knock-off?
November 27, 2023
How do you tell a real Japanese knife from a fake? Read the steel, the grind and the edge geometry, plus the marketing tells that dress up a cheap blade.
What Does the Colour of Your Food Mean?
August 14, 2023
What food colour signals about flavour and nutrition, from chlorophyll and carotenoids to flavonoids and betalains in fruits and vegetables.
When to Replace Your Trusty Cooking Knives: A Comprehensive Guide
July 17, 2023
Some knives are past saving: an edge that won’t hold after sharpening, cracks or chips, a wobbling handle, rust in the steel. Four signs it’s time to let go.
Choosing the Perfect Knife for Women Who Love to Cook
July 8, 2023
Choosing a knife for women who love to cook: comfort, ergonomic handles, versatility and a sharp, well-balanced blade for everyday kitchen tasks.
Upgrading kitchenware: why should you invest in good, sharp kitchen knives?
June 27, 2023
Cheap blades chip, dull within weeks and tire your wrist. The case for spending more, with Oishya’s Sakai Kyuba damascus as the counter-example.
The steel decides when it's ready. Not me. — Our Sakai blacksmith, on patience
From the workshops
Stories from the places our knives are made.
Japanese Knife Care: 5 Essential Rules for a Lifetime of Sharp Cutting
April 4, 2026
Five rules for caring for a Japanese knife, covering hand washing, the right cutting board, whetstone sharpening, and proper storage.
The Story Behind Oishya: From Japan’s Knife Villages to Your Kitchen
April 4, 2026
The story of Oishya, a brand born from trips to Sakai and Seki that works with Japanese workshops to make knives for European home cooks.
Best Kitchen Gifts for Summer 2026: 10 Ideas They Will Love
April 4, 2026
Ten kitchen gifts for summer 2026 cooks, from a Sakai Kyuba santoku and brass chopsticks to walnut cutting boards and a three-knife set.
A note from Kamila
Why we write a journal at all.
We grew Oishya through stories, not ads. The articles we wrote, the workshops we visited, the meals we cooked. This journal is where that work lives.
Some pieces teach you about steel and edges. Some are recipes. Some are just the long way around to saying that good tools, made by people we know, are worth keeping.
On the table
Meals worth keeping.
Japanese Knife Care: 5 Essential Rules for a Lifetime of Sharp Cutting
April 4, 2026
Five rules for caring for a Japanese knife, covering hand washing, the right cutting board, whetstone sharpening, and proper storage.
The Story Behind Oishya: From Japan’s Knife Villages to Your Kitchen
April 4, 2026
The story of Oishya, a brand born from trips to Sakai and Seki that works with Japanese workshops to make knives for European home cooks.
Best Kitchen Gifts for Summer 2026: 10 Ideas They Will Love
April 4, 2026
Ten kitchen gifts for summer 2026 cooks, from a Sakai Kyuba santoku and brass chopsticks to walnut cutting boards and a three-knife set.
Blades behind the stories
The knives these stories are about.
Every story here started with a blade. Find the one that matches the way you cook.
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