KIREAJI Library — Read, Learn, and Become a Japanese Knife Evangelist

  • Explore the Essential Books on Japanese Knives

    Japanese knives are more than tools—they are culture, philosophy, and craft.
    To truly understand them, you must go beyond technique and enter the world of ideas, stories, and traditions that shaped them.

    The KIREAJI Library brings together a growing collection of books designed to deepen your knowledge, refine your technique, and help you connect with the spirit behind every blade.
    Each title opens a different doorway: fundamentals, technique, mindset, or hands-on practice. Together they form a body of knowledge that evolves as you do.

    Whether you are a chef, a passionate home cook, or someone beginning your journey, these books guide you from using Japanese knives to understanding them—and ultimately to sharing their beauty with others as a true Japanese Knife Evangelist.

The Japanese Knife Handbook

  • Your Gateway to Understanding Japanese Blades

    This book began with a simple truth: many people own knives, yet very few truly understand them.
    From real voices in Toronto to Sakai’s 600-year tradition, The Japanese Knife Handbook reveals what makes Japanese knives unique — their shapes, steels, edge structures, and the cultural “why” behind every blade.
    If you want to choose the right knife with confidence, speak about it clearly, and appreciate it deeply, this is where your journey begins.
The Japanese Knife Handbook

The Japanese Knife Manual

  • Bring the knife into your hands — and your daily life.

    If the Handbook teaches understanding, the Manual teaches practice.
    Through step-by-step guidance, this book helps you build the habits that make a Japanese knife feel natural: how to hold it, move it, wash it, dry it, and store it with intention.
    By the end, your knife becomes more than a tool — it becomes a trusted partner that refines your rhythm and mindset in the kitchen.
The Japanese Knife Manual

The Japanese Knife Mindset

  • Where technique becomes philosophy — the path toward mastery.

    Beyond skill lies character.
    The Japanese Knife Mindset explores the inner qualities that elevate cooking from a craft to a way of life: respect, repetition, patience, care, and devotion to flavor.
    This book invites you to see sharpening as a mirror, the kitchen as a place of discipline, and your knife as a guide toward personal growth.
The Japanese Knife Mindset

The Japanese Knife Workbook

  • Learn deeply — then share it forward as a Japanese Knife Evangelist.

    If the first three books helped you understand, use, and live with Japanese knives, this workbook completes the journey.
    Through quizzes, explanations, and video lessons, it transforms knowledge into clarity — and clarity into the confidence to speak about Japanese knives in your own words.
    This workbook exists for one purpose: to help you become a Japanese Knife Evangelist, carrying the spirit of Sakai craftsmanship into your community, one conversation at a time.
The Japanese Knife Workbook

Epilogue — A Journey That Continues in Your Hands

  • Every book in this series was written with one belief:
    a Japanese knife is more than a tool — it is a living bridge between people, craft, and culture.

    From understanding the blade,
    to practicing with it,
    to shaping your mindset,
    to finally sharing its story with others,
    your journey forms a continuous circle of learning and expression.

    Each volume offers a different doorway,
    but all lead toward the same destination:
    a deeper, more meaningful relationship with the knife in your hands.

    Whether you are a chef, a home cook, or simply someone who appreciates true craftsmanship, the path you walk is the same one followed by generations of artisans in Sakai — a path built on respect, intention, and quiet mastery.

    And when the time comes, we hope you will take the final step:
    to share this spirit with someone else,
    to speak about what moved you,
    and to carry forward the soul of Japanese knife-making in your own voice.

    This is how a reader becomes a Japanese Knife Evangelist —
    and how tradition lives on, one person at a time.

    Your journey does not end here.
    It begins every time you pick up your knife.

Our Story

  • Tradition of Sakai, in Your Hands

    "Where can I find a truly great knife?"
    We started KIREAJI to answer that question. While the number of skilled craftsmen is declining in Japan, many people overseas are seeking authentic blades. With that in mind, we carefully deliver each knife—bridging tradition and kitchens around the world.
Our Story