Never leave them wet. How to wash, dry and sharpen a Japanese knife, with a rundown of the Gyuto, Santoku, Nakiri, Deba and Sujihiki.
Japanese kitchen knives
Articles about Japanese kitchen knives — where they come from, how they’re made, and how to choose and live with one. We work directly with smiths in Sakai and Seki, so much of this is written from the workshop side: what Aogami Super does that stainless doesn’t, why a 15° edge changes the way you cut, how to tell a gyuto from a santoku before you spend money on either. Buying your first? Start with the buying guide. Already own one? The care and sharpening pieces will keep it cutting for a decade.
Western Vs. Japanese Knives With Chef Olivia Burt
Chef Olivia Burt on why Japanese blades stay sharper and food sticks less, plus the three she’d own: a Gyuto or Santoku, a Nakiri and a Petty.
What Is Oak Bog Wood?
The wood on every Sakai Kyuba handle sat in a peat bog for 2,500 years, darkening and hardening since before Rome. Here’s how bog oak forms.
Kitchen Knife Set Or Individual Knives – What’s Better To Start With?
Why own a meat-carving knife if you’re vegetarian? Weighing a tidy knife set against buying only the two or three blades you’ll actually use.
Wooden Handles: Maple Burl
What turns soft maple into a handle that shrugs off water? Resin forced deep under pressure, leaving the burl dense, tough and waterproof.
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.
What Japanese Knife To Buy?
First proper knife? Buy a gyuto. Add a nakiri and a petty later, and those three handle most of what a kitchen throws at you.
Knife History – Forging Methods
Sakai’s blacksmiths turned samurai sword craft into tobacco-cutting knives after the Portuguese brought tobacco to Japan in the 16th century.
Four Knives Your Kitchen Just Can’t Live Without
Skip the fifteen-slot block. A Gyuto, a Nakiri, a Petty and one serrated blade handle nearly everything you’ll cut at home.
Santoku Vs. Gyuto – What’s The Difference?
The santoku’s flat blade wants a straight up-and-down chop; the gyuto’s curve lets you rock. That belly, or lack of it, decides which suits your hands.
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.
Guide: Best Kitchen Knives At Any Price Range
You’ll reach for the chef’s knife 99% of the time, so spend there first. Why a £30 blade can beat a £500 one, and why the sharpest is the safest.
Ceramic Knives Vs. Steel Knives – Pros And Cons
Ceramic is the second-hardest material after diamond, so it keeps an edge for years and won’t pass odours between foods. Its weakness against steel? Chipping.
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.
Guide: How To Choose Your First Japanese Kitchen Knife
Buying your first Japanese knife feels like a gamble. Here’s how to read shape, steel and handle so it isn’t, plus the 100-day guarantee that softens the risk.
Are Japanese Carving Knives As Good As The Western Ones?
The Sujihiki packs 240-300mm of thin, double-bevel blade, and some sushi chefs reach for it over the yanagiba when slicing sashimi.
Guide: Kitchen Knife Handle Types And Materials
Most buyers obsess over the steel, but the handle carries the knife: cocobolo, ebony and rosewood compared, plus why soft woods fail in a wet kitchen.
Tobacco, Portuguese & The Japanese Knives: The History Of Sakai Knives
Portuguese traders brought tobacco to Sakai in 1543, and the knives farmers needed to cut the leaves became the cooking blades the town is famous for.
The Difference Between Aogami #2 And Aogami Super Blue
Both come from Hitachi, but Aogami Super adds vanadium for a harder, longer-lasting edge, while #2 stays easier to sharpen. Which fits how you cook?
Steel Qualities Of Kitchen Knives – A Cheat Sheet
One chart lining up Shirogami, Kigami, Aogami and the GIN stainless grades by hardness, price and what each blade is actually built for.
What Is Yasugi Steel And What Makes It So Great?
Smelted from sand iron in Shimane, Yasugi steel splits into yellow, white and blue grades. Top smiths favour the white and blue and skip the cheap yellow.
What Is Rockwell Hardness (A.Ka. HRC)?
An axe sits near 50 HRC, supermarket knives 54-58, good kitchen blades 60-66. What that diamond-point test measures, and why harder isn’t always better.
Different Types Of Kitchen Knives, What They’re Used For
Most homes own three or four knives without really thinking about it. Here are the ten common types sorted, and the four worth buying first.
All About Cooking Knives
The chef’s knife began as a butchery tool for slicing through cartilage. Here’s how the gyuto and its French and German cousins compare today.
Our Latest Trip To Takefu & Sakai – Japanese Knife Villages
Back from the forges of Takefu and Sakai, where an ageing trade and few young smiths explain why a handmade knife can take months.
The Most Comprehensive Guide To Japanese Kitchen Knives You’ll Ever Read
Nine blade shapes, six steel finishes, and how to keep any of them sharp. If you read one thing before buying, make it the long version.
What’s The Difference Between German Vs. Japanese Knives?
One holds a near-scalpel edge but will rust; the other shrugs off abuse. It comes down to Rockwell hardness, high 50s against mid 60s.
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.
Are Japanese Knives Worth Their Price?
A £1,000 knife can take five weeks and a workshop of four to forge. What the price buys: layered steel, hand-welding and balance.
Do I Need a Special Knife like a Sashimi or Yanagiba Knife for Sushi?
Can you make good sushi at home without a Yanagiba? Where single-bevel slicers ground 70:30 or 90:10 actually earn their keep, and when they don’t.