Knives From Japan | Blog

17/01/2023

What Is A Nakiri Knife?

“Look at that! A mini Cleaver!” Not quite. It may have similar features to a cleaver at first glance, what you are actually seeing is a Nakiri. The Nakiri is a Japanese knife with a straight edge that is commonly used for vegetable preparation. The straight edge of the Nakiri is optimised for an up-down chopping motion and is perfect for the slicing and dicing of vegetables, it is especially useful when julienning vegetables. The straight, symmetrical edge of the Nakiri means it will cut through to the chopping board... Read More

11/10/2022

Masahiro Pure Carbon – New at Knives From Japan!

The Masahiro brand is known world wide as one of the three M’s. Along with Misono & Masamoto brands, these are the most respected and prominent brands in Japan. Especially known for their excellent cutlery manufacturing in the past. Why is this important? In todays market there are a lot of so called Japanese knife brands on the market (mainly coming out of China ) some of which are not Japanese at all. Being one of the three M’s not only distinguishes the brand but also sets it apart from... Read More

02/05/2023
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What is a Usuba?

A Usuba knife is a traditional Japanese vegetable knife that is specifically designed for precision cutting and chopping of vegetables. It is characterized by its straight edge and a tall, rectangular blade profile. Often confused with the Nakiri, there are some features that set the Usuba apart. Usuba knives are typically single-bevelled, meaning they have a flat side and a bevelled side. The single-bevel design allows for extremely precise cuts and enables chefs to create thin, consistent slices of vegetables. The tall blade height provides ample space for the knuckles... Read More

16/03/2023
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What is Knife Thinning?

Knife thinning is exactly what you would think, it is the process of thinning the profile of your knife. Now how is this different to sharpening your knife? When you sharpen your knives you focus on the cutting edge of the blade but a sharp edge is just the first step to a high performing blade, the initial cut comes from the edge however we need to take into consideration the thickness of the material behind that edge. The thicker the knife, the more resistance it will encounter in the... Read More

02/03/2023

What is a Gyuto knife?

The Gyuto is a Japanese version to the western Chef’s knife that usually has a blade length of 180-300mm. The name ‘Gyuto’ literally translates to ‘Cow blade’ and as the name suggests, was originally used for large cuts of meat like beef however has since become known as an all-rounder in the kitchen. How to pronounce Gyuto? We’ve all been there, I’ve certainly been there and still mispronounce it every now and then. Gyuto is pronounced ‘G-You-Toe’ (pronounced just like ‘you’ but with a hard ‘G’ sound at the beginning)... Read More

23/02/2023

What is a Santoku Knife?

The Santoku is an all-purpose knife and is a Japanese version of the western Chefs knife. Santoku translates to ‘three virtues’ however the jury is out on what those virtues are, some say it is referring to the ingredients the knife is used for; fish, meats, and vegetables, while others say it is all about the three cutting styles the knife is known for; mincing, slicing, and chopping. Santoku knife Anatomy The Santoku is characterised by its squared shape with a mostly straight edge curving up slightly at the tip... Read More

31/10/2022

Say hello to the Masahiro Chinese Chef Knife range! – New at Knives From Japan!

The Masahiro brand is known world wide as one of the three M’s. Along with Misono & Masamoto brands, these are the most respected and prominent brands in Japan. Especially known for their excellent cutlery manufacturing in the past. Why is this important? In todays market there are a lot of so called Japanese knife brands on the market (mainly coming out of China ) some of which are not Japanese at all. Being one of the three M’s not only distinguishes the brand but also sets it apart from... Read More

15/07/2021

Knife Making Areas of Japan

Japan has a long tradition of knife manufacturing and it is a tradition that is not just limited to one area, like in the UK (Sheffield), Germany (Solingen) or France (Thiers). Japanese knife manufacturing is spread out over the whole country, but generally there are important differences in the types of product coming out of each area. Tsubame-Sanjo Located on the West coast of Japan around the prefecture of Niigata are located Japan’s most famous knife factories. The city of Tsubame has had a large metal working industry since the... Read More

15/07/2021

Why Japanese Knives are the best Knives!

Why Japanese Knives are the Best Knives! Japanese Knives have a reputation for being much sharper than their European counterparts, but why is this and why is a sharper knife better? Japanese Knives are generally constructed using much harder steels than European knives. Using hard steel allows Japanese knife makers to make quite thin blades that are able to hold their edges a lot longer than European knives and be sharpened to a much finer point. Japanese knife manufacturing techniques have evolved from traditional sword making techniques in a similar... Read More

15/07/2021

Why is a Japanese Knife more expensive?

High End Materials High end materials, like powdered steels, do not come cheap. These steels which are specially made for knives are made in small quantities by very advanced mills. Many of these high-end steels require very specialist knowledge on how to forge and strengthen the steel. Few manufacturers know how to work with steels like this, or simply do not bother as the high price means that knives cannot be made on a mass scale. Many Chinese factories have access to VG-10 or copies of VG-10. The steel used... Read More