Notes on knives, cooking and the people who make things slowly.
What makes a good kitchen knife handle: traditional Japanese woods, why stabilised maple burl resists water, what bog oak is, and how to care for a wooden handle.
What a Nakiri is, what it is used for, how to cut with one, how it compares with a Santoku, and whether a Japanese vegetable knife belongs in your kitchen.
Gyuto, Santoku or Bunka? How the three Japanese chef’s knives differ in edge, tip and length, and how to choose the one that suits the way you cut.
Japanese vs German chef’s knives compared: steel hardness, edge angle, weight, handles and care, and how to decide which suits your kitchen.
Why hard Japanese steel can chip, the six habits that cause almost every chip, which steels forgive more, and what to do if your knife has already chipped.
Full bolster, half bolster, double bolster or none: what each means for balance, safety and sharpening, and why most Japanese knives have no bolster at all.
How to choose a Japanese knife as a Christmas or wedding present: which shape, which line, which handle colour, and why every Oishya box holds a 5 yen coin.
Five rules for caring for a Japanese knife, covering hand washing, the right cutting board, whetstone sharpening, and proper storage.
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.
Ten kitchen gifts for summer 2026 cooks, from a Sakai Kyuba santoku and brass chopsticks to walnut cutting boards and a three-knife set.
How a Japanese kitchen knife is forged, from Sakai and Seki workshops to layered Damascus steel hammered at 1,100°C through dozens of hand steps.
What to buy first when you are building a Japanese kitchen on a budget: a stone, a board, somewhere to keep the knife, and then the knife itself.
A beginner’s guide to Japanese knife sets, why the chef, vegetable and paring trio works, plus the Sakai Kyuba KYU Set for first-timers.
An expert buying guide to Japanese chef knives, explaining gyuto, santoku and bunka styles, steel hardness and picks like the RYU Gyuto.
The philosophy and craft of the Japanese kitchen, from nagomi balance and wabi-sabi to mottainai and kaizen, and how each shapes how you cook.
Caring for a Japanese knife, covering carbon versus stainless steel, Rockwell hardness, single and double bevels, whetstone sharpening and storage.
What Japanese blade finishes really do, from the tsuchime hammered texture that releases food to the Damascus cladding on the Sakai KYU line.
Is a £300 kitchen knife worth it? The cost-per-meal maths, plus what VG10 steel and three-layer construction in the KATA Bunka actually buy you.
The wave pattern on a Damascus blade is more than looks. How folded layers, like the 33 in the RYU line, balance edge retention and resilience.
The four best Japanese knives for home cooks, the Gyuto, Santoku, Nakiri and Petty, with the features and tasks that suit each one.
A guide to every major Japanese knife shape, from the all-purpose gyuto and santoku to specialised blades, and what each one is built to do.
Should knives hang blade up or blade down on a magnetic rack? Why many professionals favour blade up, covering ergonomics, balance and edge wear.
A practical primer on kitchen knives, covering how to pick your first chef’s knife, blade materials, cutting technique and basic maintenance.
The story behind every Oishya knife, from the 2022 rebrand out of Japana to wooden boards crafted by family workshops across Europe.
The Nakiri’s straight, rectangular blade gives full edge contact for clean vegetable cuts, less wrist strain and uniform thin slices every time.
Kiritsuke or Bunka? The longer, elegant Kiritsuke suits showpiece slicing, while the shorter Bunka is a nimble everyday workhorse with a tanto tip.
A guide to knife anatomy, covering the blade, edge, spine, tang, handle and bolster, and how German and Japanese traditions design each part.
Japanese knives use harder steel and a 10 to 15 degree edge, so they cut with less force than thicker Western blades. Here is the science behind it.
A beginner’s look at Japanese knives, from san mai construction and high-carbon steel to the ikigai and kaizen philosophy that shapes how they are made.
The kiritsuke, bunka, gyuto, and santoku compared by shape, use, and skill level to help home cooks pick the right Japanese knife.
The Slow Letter
A story from the workshops, a recipe worth keeping, and five Knife School letters to start you off. 5% off your first order, sent once.
