Category

Knife Guides

01/08/2025
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Why Invest in a Handmade Japanese Knife?

A handmade Japanese knife is more than a tool; it’s an extension of culinary artistry. Blending centuries of tradition, unparalleled craftsmanship, and advanced metallurgy, these knives offer precision and longevity unmatched by mass-produced alternatives. At Knives from Japan, we pride ourselves on sourcing our blades directly from the most specialist handmade hubs within Japan, such as the renowned Sakai region, ensuring you receive not just a knife, but a piece of authentic, master-crafted heritage. This guide explores their rich history, meticulous crafting, superior materials, performance benefits, and essential care, ensuring... Read More

24/07/2025
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Sheffield-Made Pocket Knives: Discover the Enduring Quality of Taylor’s Eye Witness Collection

For over 160 years, Sheffield pocket knives have stood as a benchmark for craftsmanship and durability. Taylor’s Eye Witness continues this proud tradition, offering a stunning range of handmade pocket knives crafted entirely in their Sheffield factory. Known for their precision blades, rugged triple bolt-locked handles, and classic British design, these knives are built to last and perfect for everything from everyday carry to specialised gardening tasks. Tailored Blades for Every Purpose Whether you’re seeking a knife for detailed work or tough outdoor use, Taylor’s Eye Witness has you covered.... Read More

30/06/2025
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The Truth About Choosing the Right Kitchen Knife.

Why Knife Buying is Both an Art and a Science Introduction: Why You Shouldn’t Trust Every Knife Recommendation You’ve probably read a hundred kitchen knife reviews by now. One says “this knife changed my life,” another says “don’t waste your money.” Confusing, right? Here’s the first thing you need to know: take knife recommendations with a grain of salt. Knife preferences are wildly subjective — kind of like the white/gold vs black/blue dress debate. What’s perfect for someone else may be totally wrong for you. That’s why our goal at... Read More

05/06/2025
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Knife Sharpening: How it works

Professional Knife Sharpening at Knives from Japan At Knives From Japan, we believe a sharp knife is essential – and we’re here to bring your blades back to their best. Located at 100 Great Portland Street, we offer a professional knife sharpening service tailored to Japanese and premium kitchen knives. Here you will find how to book. How We Sharpen All sharpening is carried out using a Tormek slow-speed water-cooled grinding wheel, followed by finishing on a variety of Japanese whetstones to refine the edge. This combination ensures precision sharpening... 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

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

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