Usage & Care

  • A knife’s journey does not end at the forge — it begins in your hands.

    The sharpest blade, born of fire and steel, will falter without proper care. Rust can creep in, edges can dull, and balance can fade. Yet with simple daily practices — washing, drying, sharpening, and caring for cutting boards and whetstones — your knife will remain as sharp, graceful, and reliable as the day it was made.

    In this section, we will explore the essential rituals of maintenance: how to prepare a new knife for first use, the daily care that prevents rust, the role of the cutting board in preserving edges, and the philosophy behind Japan’s culture of sharpening. You will also learn how to care for your whetstone, the trusted partner of every blade.

    These are not chores, but traditions — acts of respect for craftsmanship and for the ingredients you prepare. By understanding maintenance, you will not only extend the life of your knife but also deepen your connection to it, turning every cut into a dialogue between steel, skill, and spirit.

Before Using a Japanese Knife: What Every Owner Must Know

  • Before the First Cut — How to Protect the Life of Your Japanese Knife

    A Japanese knife is unlike any other kitchen tool. Its razor-sharp edge, refined balance, and beauty demand a touch of respect before it even meets its first ingredient.
    Used improperly, even the finest blade can lose its brilliance in seconds. Cutting frozen foods or bones, twisting or hammering the blade, or leaving it wet can cause chips, cracks, and rust that shorten its life dramatically.

    Understanding what not to do is as important as learning how to cut. Japanese knives are made for precision, not brute force — their strength lies in the glide of a smooth slice, not in prying or chopping. Just as important, washing and storing them with care ensures they retain their sharpness and elegance for decades.

    To hold a Japanese knife is to enter into a quiet partnership. Treat it with respect from the very beginning, and it will reward you with a lifetime of faithful service and timeless beauty.
Before Using a Japanese Knife

Japanese Knife Care: Three Habits That Protect

  • Wash, Dry, Store — The Simple Ritual That Preserves a Knife’s Soul

    A Japanese knife’s brilliance is not only defined by how it cuts, but by how it is cared for afterward. Even the finest steel will rust or dull if neglected, making daily maintenance essential.

    Three simple habits—wash, dry, and store—are the foundation of proper care. Gentle hand-washing with mild soap protects the blade from corrosion, immediate drying prevents rust, and thoughtful storage in a sheath or block safeguards sharpness and safety. For long-term storage, a light coat of oil adds further protection, continuing a tradition passed down by generations of craftsmen.

    More than routine, these steps are a quiet ritual. In Japanese kitchens, the way a chef cares for their knives reflects discipline, respect, and even their philosophy toward cooking. To care for a knife is to honor the ingredient, the craft, and oneself.
Daily Care of a Japanese Knife

Preventing Rust in Japanese Knives: Simple Habits to Protect Your Blade

  • Rust Prevention as Daily Ritual — Protecting Sharpness, Honoring Craft

    Even the sharpest and most beautiful Japanese knife can lose its brilliance overnight if neglected. Rust is simply iron’s natural reaction to moisture and oxygen, but with care, it can be prevented.

    Carbon steel knives, admired for their extraordinary sharpness, demand immediate drying after every use. Stainless steel offers greater resistance thanks to chromium, yet it too can rust without attention. The key lies in three habits: wash gently, dry thoroughly, and store safely. For long-term storage, applying a thin coat of camellia oil or wrapping the blade in newspaper helps protect it further.

    If rust appears, light stains can be removed with a rust eraser or cork, while severe cases may require fine sharpening. Yet prevention is always easier than restoration.

    In Japan, knife care is more than maintenance—it is a philosophy of respect. Each act of washing, drying, and storing is a gesture that honors the steel, the craftsman who shaped it, and the meals it helps create. Through this mindful routine, a Japanese knife can remain sharp, beautiful, and faithful for decades.
Preventing Rust in Japanese Knives

Before Using a Cutting Board: How to Protect Your Knife from the Start

  • The Cutting Board’s Hidden Power — How It Shapes the Life of Your Knife

    A cutting board may appear to be a simple tool, but it plays a decisive role in how long a knife stays sharp. Each cut is an interaction between blade and board, and the wrong surface can quickly dull or even chip an edge.

    Material choice matters most. Hard boards may seem practical, but they wear down a knife’s edge prematurely. Resin boards, now common in professional kitchens for their hygiene, are convenient but not ideal for preserving sharpness. Among Japanese craftsmen, the consensus is clear: a soft wooden board is the best partner for a knife. Its natural cushioning protects the edge, reduces stress, and balances durability with blade preservation.

    Choosing the right cutting board is not a matter of convenience—it is an investment in your knives. With a quality wooden board, you not only safeguard sharpness but also ensure that every cut retains the precision and joy that define Japanese knife culture.
Before Using a Cutting Board

Cutting Board Care: Simple Habits for Clean, Safe, Long-Lasting Use

  • A Cutting Board’s True Value Is in Its Care — Hygiene, Longevity, and Trust

    A cutting board is more than just a surface; it is the foundation on which every meal begins. Yet without care, it can quickly become scratched, warped, or unhygienic.

    Plastic boards require gentle washing with detergent and regular disinfection with alcohol or diluted bleach, but they must be kept away from high heat, which causes warping. Wooden boards demand a different approach: scrubbing with coarse salt or lemon removes bacteria and odors without damaging the grain, while boiling water or alcohol spray helps maintain hygiene. Above all, both types of boards must be thoroughly dried—never left flat or damp—to prevent warping and bacterial growth.

    With these simple daily practices, a cutting board becomes more than a tool. It becomes a reliable partner in every dish, safeguarding both the flavor of your food and the health of those who enjoy it.
Daily Care of a Cutting Board

Why Does Only Japan Have a Culture of Sharpening Knives with Whetstones?

  • Sharpening as Culture — How Japan Turned Maintenance into Art

    In most countries, a dull knife is simply replaced. But in Japan, knives are nurtured through sharpening—a tradition shaped by geology, spirit, and aesthetics.

    Japan’s unique geology brought rare natural whetstones to the surface, especially in Kyoto, where finishing stones like Nakayama and Aoto became legendary. These stones produce a natural slurry that polishes while sharpening, creating edges of extraordinary sharpness and beauty.

    Other regions had stones, too, but most were too coarse, too hard, or too scarce to sustain a comparable culture. Instead, knives abroad were treated as replaceable tools, and sharpening never became a refined craft.

    In Japan, however, sharpening is a philosophy. Knives are partners, not disposables, and each sharpening is an act of respect and mindfulness. Beyond function, the polish, the hamon, and the mirror finish express the sharpener’s artistry.

    Through this fusion of earth, spirit, and culture, sharpening in Japan evolved into something singular—a practice where tools are not only maintained but elevated into works of functional art.
Why Does Only Japan Have a Culture of Sharpening Knives with Whetstones?

Before Sharpening Knives: Key Principles Every Chef Should Know

  • Sharpening with Wisdom — Principles That Protect Both Blade and Chef

    Sharpening a Japanese knife is not simply a matter of grinding steel — it is an art form shaped by centuries of craftsmanship. Before touching a whetstone, chefs must understand the principles that preserve both performance and longevity.

    On single-edged knives, the urasuki hollow on the back is essential for reducing resistance and maintaining sharpness. Over-sharpening the back can thicken it and dull the blade, while too much pressure risks distortion that only professionals can repair.

    Sharpness itself must be balanced with purpose. Knives like Deba or Garasaki, which face hard materials, can chip if made overly thin. The ideal edge is one suited to the task, not always the thinnest possible.

    During sharpening, the formation of a burr (kaeri) signals progress, but excessive burrs mean wasted steel. Likewise, the mud produced by whetstones can enhance polishing, yet too much can reduce control. Skilled sharpeners know when to keep it, and when to rinse it away.

    Sharpening is not just maintenance — it is an act of judgment, discipline, and respect. By following these principles, a knife’s edge becomes not only sharp, but truly suited to its purpose and to the hand that guides it.
Before Sharpening Knives

Whetstone Care: How to Keep Your Knife’s Best Partner Alive

  • A Sharp Knife Begins with a Healthy Whetstone

    A Japanese knife can only perform at its best when paired with a well-maintained whetstone. Just as steel rusts without care, a stone can warp, dent, or clog—robbing your knife of sharpness no matter how skillfully you sharpen.

    The first rule is flatness. A whetstone must remain level to create a precise edge. Even slight dips or warping will distort the blade. Regular checks and flattening with vitrified or diamond wheels are essential to keep the surface true.

    Equally important is rinsing. Each sharpening leaves behind fine grit—particles of stone and steel—that can clog the surface or even rust inside the pores. Thorough rinsing after every session preserves both cleanliness and cutting power.

    Finally, storage determines longevity. Stones must dry naturally in shaded, ventilated spaces, away from direct sunlight or sudden heat changes. Magnesia stones, especially sensitive to water, should be wrapped in newspaper or cloth. Like knives and cutting boards, they belong in a dry environment.

    A whetstone is more than a tool—it is the silent partner that sustains your knife’s edge. With simple daily care, it will serve you faithfully for years, ensuring that every cut remains sharp, clean, and true.
Daily Care of a Whetstone

What Determines the Lifespan of a Knife?

  • A Knife’s True Lifespan Lies in Its Construction

    The lifespan of a knife is not measured in years, but in how long it can continue to hold an edge. Once the steel is worn away and sharpening is no longer possible, the life of the knife comes to an end. And because not all knives are built the same way, their longevity can differ greatly.

    In Japanese knife-making, there are two main construction styles that shape a knife’s durability and sharpening life. Zenkou, also known as all steel or honyaki, is forged entirely from steel and can be sharpened again and again as long as steel remains. In the case of honyaki, however, only the hardened section of the blade can be sharpened indefinitely, while the softer tempered portion cannot be reduced beyond a certain point. Kasumi construction, on the other hand, combines hard steel with layers of soft iron or stainless. Within kasumi, there are important differences: in three-layer kasumi, the steel core runs through the full height of the blade, allowing the knife to be sharpened for many years. In inserted steel kasumi, the core only extends partway down the blade, and once you sharpen past that layer, the edge disappears completely and the knife’s function is lost.

    It is often said that a good knife will last forever if you keep sharpening it. In truth, the construction of the blade sets its limits. Many knives sold overseas are of the inserted steel kasumi type, which means they will one day reach a sudden end. The real question to ask is not simply how sharp a knife is today, but how much steel is inside the blade. By understanding this, you can choose a knife that will not only perform beautifully now, but also continue to serve you faithfully for many years to come.
Daily Care of a Whetstone

Knife Memorial Service

  • When a Blade’s Life Ends, Gratitude Begins

    In Japan, even the most ordinary tool can be seen as carrying a spirit. A kitchen knife is more than steel—it holds the memory of countless meals and the care of its owner. When its life ends, it is not simply thrown away, but honored with respect.

    This tradition is known as Hocho Kuyō, the knife memorial service. It reflects the belief that cherished objects acquire a soul over time. By giving thanks to a worn-out knife, people express gratitude for the craftsmanship that created it and the devotion with which it was used.

    Every year on November 8, Knife Day is celebrated across Japan. The date comes from a playful word association: “11” for ii (good) and “8” for ha (blade). In Sakai, Seki, Sanjo, and other knife-making towns, people bring their old knives to shrines, where they are respectfully laid to rest—not as waste, but as honored companions.

    The knife memorial service is more than a ritual. It is a cultural lesson in treasuring objects, respecting artisans, and pausing to value what we use. To honor a knife is to honor the spirit of craftsmanship itself, ensuring that respect and gratitude are passed on to future generations.
Knife Memorial Service

  • Epilogue: Care as a Form of Respect

    A Japanese knife reveals its brilliance not only in use, but in the moments after. Washing, drying, storing, sharpening—these are not chores, but rituals that preserve sharpness, beauty, and spirit.

  • To care for your knife is to respect the food it cuts, the craftsman who forged it, and the meals it helps you create. Rust prevention, careful cutting boards, the culture of whetstone sharpening—each act deepens the bond between you and your blade.

  • In Japan, maintenance has never been seen as a burden. It is a quiet discipline, an extension of hospitality, and a reflection of gratitude.

  • When you nurture your knife, you are also nurturing your craft—and in turn, yourself.

Origins & History

From samurai swords to modern kitchens, discover how Japanese knives became cultural icons of sharpness, tradition, and identity.

Origins & History

Regions & Craftsmen

Explore Sakai, Sanjō, and Seki—the three great knife-making centers of Japan. And in Sakai, meet the master artisans whose hands preserve tradition and shape the future of Japanese blades.

Regions & Craftsmen

Materials

Discover the steels that shape Japan’s finest knives—from the razor-sharp purity of White Steel to the balance of Blue Steel, the resilience of Ginsan, and the innovation of Super Steels like ZDP189. Each material is more than metal—it is a philosophy forged through centuries of refinement.

Materials

Structure & Features

Uncover the secrets of single-bevel geometry, urasuki hollows, and design features that make Japanese knives precise and unique.

Structure & Features

Crafting Process

Follow the journey from raw steel to living blade—through forging, quenching, sharpening, and finishing guided by master hands.

Crafting Process

Types of Knives

From Yanagiba to Deba to Usuba, learn why Japan developed so many specialized blades and how each reflects culinary culture.

Types of Knives

Blade Finishes

From the precision of Honbazuke sharpening to the elegance of mirror polish, the flowing patterns of Damascus, and the subtle refinement of kido finishing—each finish tells its own story of craftsmanship.

Blade Finishes

Mindset & Philosophy

Discover The Chef’s Code—principles of character, skill, knowledge, devotion, and professionalism that connect chef and knife

Mindset & Philosophy