Caring for Japanese knives: the main blade types, why proper washing and drying matter, and how regular sharpening keeps the edge in good shape.
Japanese kitchen knives
Japanese knives are coveted for their beautiful and detailed design, as well as the cuts they produce. Their blades are typically thin and delicate, and prone to breaking if you don’t take care of them properly — not ideal for the clumsy chef.
Western Vs. Japanese Knives With Chef Olivia Burt
Chef Olivia Burt compares Western and Japanese knives and recommends three to own: a Gyuto or Santoku, a Nakiri, and a Petty paring knife.
What Is Oak Bog Wood?
What bog oak is and why Oishya uses it for Sakai Kyuba knife handles: oak buried in peat bogs for 2,500 years, slowly darkening and hardening over time.
Kitchen Knife Set Or Individual Knives – What’s Better To Start With?
Choosing between a kitchen knife set and individual knives, weighing the convenience of a set against buying only the few blades you actually use.
Wooden Handles: Maple Burl
Why wood makes a fine knife handle, and what stabilised maple burl is, a rare resin-impregnated wood that turns dense, tough and waterproof.
What Makes Japanese Kitchen Knives So Good?
What sets Japanese knives apart, from harder steel and a thinner 15-degree bevel to a lighter blade built for draw-cutting toward you.
What Japanese Knife To Buy?
Which Japanese knife to buy: start with a gyuto, then add a nakiri or petty, with notes on thinner blades, lower angles, and proper care.
Knife History – Forging Methods
Knife history from Sakai, where tobacco-cutting blades grew from samurai swordmaking, plus the honyaki and kasumi forging methods explained.
Four Knives Your Kitchen Just Can’t Live Without
The four kitchen knives that handle nearly every cutting task at home, from the chef’s knife to the smaller blades worth owning first.
Santoku Vs. Gyuto – What’s The Difference?
Santoku versus gyuto explained: the santoku is flat and built for chopping, while the curved chef’s knife rocks and handles almost any task.
Is It Bad Luck to Gift a Knife? How to Give Kitchen Knives Without Breaking Tradition
Giving a knife is fine despite the old superstition that it cuts a relationship, as long as the recipient pays a coin, like Oishya’s 5 yen coin.
Guide: Best Kitchen Knives At Any Price Range
How to choose a good kitchen knife at any budget, why the chef’s knife matters most, and why a sharp blade is actually the safest one.
Ceramic Knives Vs. Steel Knives – Pros And Cons
Ceramic and steel knives compared on sharpness, odour transfer, rust, hygiene and weight, so you can pick the right blade for the job.
Getting Your First Japanese Kitchen Knife? Read This.
Advice for buying your first Japanese knife, matching the blade to how you cook, and why balance, handle shape, and care matter most.
Guide: How To Choose Your First Japanese Kitchen Knife
A practical guide to picking your first Japanese kitchen knife, covering shapes, steels, handles and the warranty that takes the fear out of buying.
Are Japanese Carving Knives As Good As The Western Ones?
The Sujihiki is Japan’s answer to the Western slicing knife, with a long thin blade for carving meats, fish and clean sashimi cuts.
Guide: Kitchen Knife Handle Types And Materials
A guide to kitchen knife handle materials, focusing on wood types like cocobolo, ebony and rosewood, their upkeep and what they cost.
Tobacco, Portuguese & The Japanese Knives: The History Of Sakai Knives
How Portuguese tobacco trade in 1543 led to Sakai’s knife making, and why each blade still passes through several specialist craftsmen.
The Difference Between Aogami #2 And Aogami Super Blue
Aogami #2 and Aogami Super blue steel compared on composition, hardness and edge retention, so you can match the steel to how you cook.
Steel Qualities Of Kitchen Knives – A Cheat Sheet
A cheat sheet to kitchen knife steels from Hitachi, covering Shirogami, Kigami, Aogami and stainless grades by hardness and use.
What Is Yasugi Steel And What Makes It So Great?
Yasugi steel from Shimane comes in yellow, white and blue grades, with the white and blue prized by makers and the yellow best avoided.
What Is Rockwell Hardness (A.Ka. HRC)?
Rockwell hardness (HRC) explained for kitchen knives, why most sit between 60 and 66, and the trade-off between edge retention and chipping.
Different Types Of Kitchen Knives, What They’re Used For
A rundown of the kitchen knives home cooks and chefs actually use, what each one does, and the four blades worth owning before the rest.
All About Cooking Knives
What makes a chef’s knife good, where the gyuto came from, and how Japanese, French and German cooking knives compare for everyday use.
Our Latest Trip To Takefu & Sakai – Japanese Knife Villages
A trip to the knife villages of Takefu and Sakai, and why huge demand and a declining craft mean some handmade Japanese knives go on backorder.
The Most Comprehensive Guide To Japanese Kitchen Knives You’ll Ever Read
A thorough guide to Japanese kitchen knives covering types like Gyuto, Santoku, and Yanagiba, plus steels, finishes, care, and choosing one.
What’s The Difference Between German Vs. Japanese Knives?
German versus Japanese knives compared by steel, hardness, and edge, showing why one holds a sharper edge and the other takes more abuse.
Western Vs. Japanese Kitchen Knife Types
Western versus Japanese kitchen knife types compared, with the uses of the chef’s, Santoku, paring, bread, and carving knives explained.
Are Japanese Knives Worth Their Price?
Why Japanese knives cost what they do, from hand forging and layered steel to the labour and artistry behind each collectible blade.
Do I Need a Special Knife like a Sashimi or Yanagiba Knife for Sushi?
When sushi at home really needs a Sashimi or Yanagiba knife, and how single bevel and double bevel Japanese blades actually differ.