Sakai knives a cut above for foreign visitors to Japan

Quality J craftsman knives last a lifetime, great investment.

https://global.ichimonji.co.jp/?srsltid=AfmBOoomYFyv0qRg3DigXd79360RfEoNSsfggqsrZT8UVUTapxG75ywG

I would like to watch how a knife is made from raw metal to finished product.

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No matter how much i would like one, they are far out of my reach.

Azzprin -

there are some short documentaries out there explaining the processes.

Youtube or NHK world I think.

Azzprin

Today 09:01 am JST

I would like to watch how a knife is made from raw metal to finished product

In Tokyo one of the last sword and knife makers in located in Tateishi Katsushika-ku.

They used to have tours but I don't know if they still do.

4th generation hand forged in traditional methods.

https://tokyo-heritage.jp/2023/07/12/yaegashi_2023-07-12/

Their HP:

https://muneaki.net/

Great, but I stick with my sabatier french steel for my fish fileting, A uni gift when I left the wet fish shops and went to Uni. (66-18)ys ago. Any s.s knife will only last if you care for it and use correct 'steels' to sharpen. those blades are way out of my budget. But the tourists buy them for their image, not their identity. magical product, worthy of taking the bucks of the tourists. Who then take them home to hang them on their magnetic strips hangers AAARGh.

I took a couple of Kyocera ceramic knives home from my Japan visit and purchased a Sakai knife online. Three of my best four knives with a Smeg Santoku knife made with German steel making up my top 4.

"Steels" do not sharpen knives. They straighten the edge. True sharpening requires stones or a grinder. Steels are most effective on European knives as they all use some variant of Krup 4116 Stainless Steel and are only hardened to HRC 57/58. Japanese knives will go 59/65. Hence, "steels" don't work on Japanese knives. Althought ceramic sticks will.

Sakai is only one of the major cooking knife centers, the others being Seki and Tsubame-Sanjo.

The photo above shows the traditional single bevel Yanagiba, Usuba and Deba. But the vast majority of Japanese knives bought by foreign tourists are double beveled Gyuto with a Wa handle. And in damascus, Kurouchu or Tsuchime. Suminagashi is also popular.

Thank you, Oosan-sama.

Now watch the prices rise ..