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Japanese cutlery

Types of Japanese kitchen knives

There are two classes of traditional Japanese knife forging methods: honyaki and kasumi. The class is based on the method and material used in forging the knife. Honyaki are true-forged knives, made entirely of one material: high-carbon steel. Kasumi are made from two materials, like samurai swords: high-carbon steel and soft iron forged together (known as san mai blades), with the steel forming the blade’s edge and the iron forming the blade’s body and spine. Honyaki and kasumi knives can be forged out of either ao-ko or shiro-ko steel. Based on their kirenaga (duration of sharpness) and hardness, however they are more difficult to use and maintain. Additionally, there are high-grade quality kasumi knives called hongasumi and layered-steel kasumi called Damascus that have longer kirenaga.

Originally, all Japanese kitchen knives were made from the same carbon steel as katana. More expensive san mai knives have a similar quality, containing an inner core of hard and brittle carbon steel, with a thick layer of soft and more ductile steel sandwiched around the core so that the hard steel is exposed only at the cutting edge. Nowadays stainless steel is often used for Japanese kitchen knives, and san mai laminated blade construction is used in more expensive blades to add corrosion resistance while maintaining strength and durability.

Japanese cutlery production

Much high-quality Japanese cutlery originates from Sakai, the capital of samurai sword manufacturing since the 1300s. After the Meiji Restoration, the carrying of swords by the samurai class was banned as part of an attempt to modernise Japan. Though demand for military swords remained and some swordsmiths still produced traditional samurai swords as art, the majority of swordsmiths refocused their skill to cutlery production.

The production of steel knives in Sakai started in the 16th century, when tobacco was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese, and Sakai craftsmen started to make knives for cutting tobacco. The Sakai knives industry received a major boost from the Tokugawa shogunate (16031868), which granted Sakai a special seal of approval and enhanced its reputation for quality (and according to some references a monopoly).

During the Edo period (16031867) (or more precisely the Genroku era (16881704)) the first deba bocho were manufactured, soon followed by a wide range of other styles. Making kitchen knives and related products is still a major industry in Sakai, using a combination of modern machinery and traditional hand tools to make stain-resistant carbon steel blades.

Seki, Gifu is today considered the home of modern Japanese kitchen cutlery, where state-of-the-art manufacturing and technology has updated ancient forging skills to produce a world-class series of stainless and laminated steel kitchen knives famed throughout the world. The major cutlery making companies are based in Seki, and they produce the highest quality kitchen knives in the traditional Japanese style and the western style, like the gyuto and the santoku.

Another famous center for traditional blacksmiths and knifesmiths is Miki City. Miki is well known to all of Japan for its knifemaking traditions, and its knives and tools recall the pride of Japanese steelmaking. Most Miki manufacturers are small family businesses where craftsmanship is more important than volume and typically produce fewer than a dozen knives a day.

Japanese cutlery design and philosophy

(b) is angled on both sides, (a) and (c) only on one side, where (a) is for right hand use and (c) is for left hand use.

Unlike western knives, Japanese knives are often single ground, i.e., sharpened so that only one side holds the cutting edge. As shown in the image, some Japanese knives are angled from both sides, and others are angled only from one side, with the other side of the blade being flat. It was originally believed that a blade angled only on one side cuts better and makes cleaner cuts, though requiring more skill in its use than a blade with a double-beveled edge. Usually, the right hand side of the blade is angled, as most people use the knife with their right hand, with ratios ranging from 7030 for the average chef’s knife, to 9010 for professional sushi chef knives; left-handed models are rare and must be specially ordered and custom made.

Since the end of World War II, western-style double-beveled edged knives have become much more popular in Japan, the best example being that of the santoku, an adaptation of the gyuto, (also spelled “gyutou”) the French chef’s knife. While these knives are usually honed and sharpened on both sides, their blades are still given Japanese-style acute-angle cutting edges with a very hard temper to increase cutting ability.

Professional Japanese cooks usually own their personal set of knives, which are not used by other cooks. Some cooks even own two sets of knives, which they alternate every other day.[citation needed] After sharpening a carbon-steel knife in the evening after use, the user normally lets the knife “rest” for a day to restore its patina and remove any metallic odour or taste that might otherwise be passed on to the food.[citation needed]

See also

List of Japanese cooking utensils

Kitchen knife

Honyaki: True-forged Japanese knives

Deba bocho: Kitchen cleaver for fish

Nakiri bocho: Standard vegetable knife

Usuba bocho: Professional vegetable knife

Tako hiki: Sashimi slicer

Yanagi ba: Sashimi slicer

Fugu hiki: Sahsimi slicer for fugu

Unagisaki hocho: Japanese eel knife

Udon kiri: Knife to make udon

Soba kiri: Knife to make soba

Hancho hocho: Very long knives to fillet tuna

Oroshi hocho: Extremely long knives to fillet tuna

Santoku: Meaning “three virtues”, used for fish, meat and vegetables; western-style knife

References

^ a b Hurt, Harry, III (2006) “How to Succeed at Knife-Sharpening Without Losing a Thumb” The New York Times, September 23, 2006. Accessed September 23, 2006.

Tsuji, Shizuo, and Mary Sutherland. Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art, first edition. Tokyo: Kodansha International Ltd., 1980. ISBN-10: 0870113992.

Further reading

Nozaki, Hiromitsu, & Klippensteen, Kate (2009) Japanese Kitchen Knives: essential techniques and recipes. Tokyo: Kodansha International ISBN-13: 9784770030764

Tsuji, Shizuo, & Sutherland, Mary (2006) Japanese Cooking: a simple art; revised edition. Tokyo: Kodansha International ISBN-13: 9784770030498

External links

Japanese Kitchen Knife Types And Styles, photos and explanations

Behind-the-scenes photo story showing the making of a hand-forged Japanese kitchen knife from start to finish – in English

Categories: Japanese kitchen knives | Economy of Japan | Settlements in Japan | Japanese knivesHidden categories: Articles needing additional references from November 2009 | All articles needing additional references | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from November 2009
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