Make sure your Japanese kitchen knife is Japanese

Japan is world-renowned for its production of knives and samurai swords - and for good reason. The forging methods have been perfected over generations, and to this day forging is still done according to the traditional methods.

The blacksmiths work very perfectionistically with precise temperatures, folding techniques and hammering techniques, which gives an extraordinary result.

Investigate where your knife actually comes from

Unfortunately, there are many manufacturers in cheap production countries who profit from branding their products as Japanese kitchen knives or even VG10 steel. Especially in China, there are many examples of manufacturers selling "Japanese knives" on a misleading basis.

There are even examples of so-called Japanese Damascus knives, where the folds/waves are laser printed on the blade. These manufacturers do not achieve either the quality or hardness known from the genuine hand-forged Japanese knives - and therefore you risk buying the cat in the bag.

You can typically recognize these "copies" by the lower price. However, in some cases it can be difficult to discern, as certain dealers go to great lengths to brand the knives as "Japanese".

Our best advice is therefore to always ask the dealer where the knife is produced and possibly get documentation on it. Our knives are hand forged in the Sakai and Seki regions by local blacksmiths using traditional techniques. We import the knives directly from our Japanese suppliers, so you can be sure of the highest quality.