Japanese knives— which brand is best? It is the most popular question among people about to buy one. Japan is famously a superpower of detail, and blade shape, place of manufacture and the steel itself all come into the decision. As this is an introduction, I have written only four points, to keep it easy to follow — but I believe that after reading it you will have a far better sense of how to choose.
- Decide on the steel first This question may not arise with knives from other countries, because most knives sold on the general market are made of stainless, a metal we are used to. But did you know that a great many Japanese knives are made of carbon steel, which takes a far keener edge than stainless, and that there are grades of it to choose from according to purity — Shirogami (白紙) and Aogami (青紙), for example? Each type carries a number, and the lower the number the purer the steel. That said, I would strongly advise against buying such steels for use at home (while strongly recommending them for restaurants), for the simple reason that they are hard to care for: the purer the steel, the more readily it rusts. Today some makers try to remove that drawback by forging stainless around a carbon-steel core, which is a good idea for anyone who wants a very keen edge without the trouble of rust. But do not forget that even in stainless grades the Japanese achieve a very keen edge indeed — far beyond satisfactory. Widely used examples include Molybdenum Vanadium, VG10 and VG1; VG10 and VG1 in particular are very common. The difference between them is that VG1 usually gives a keener edge but holds it less well than VG10. Even so, the material alone does not decide how a knife performs, because the same steel comes out differently from different makers. Let us say that on the question of steel we choose only roughly: the ultimate edge, which is carbon steel, or a moderate (and very good) edge, which is stainless. The specific grade can be chosen in detail once we have chosen the brand.
- Choose the brand by what the producing city is good at I have written about this before: the three main knife-making cities of Japan (there are many more) are Sakai, Seki, and Tsubame-Sanjo in Niigata Prefecture. If you like a superb edge from Shirogami or Aogami steel, look for knives produced in Sakai, such as Sakai Takayuki or Minamoto Masafusa. If you want a stainless knife with a very good edge and price is no object, look for knives produced in Seki, such as Misono (the first Japanese brand to make Western-style knives, scoring a perfect ten on every count) or Masahiro. But if you want a good edge at a price that is not too high (roughly 2,000-4,000 baht), I recommend Tojiro from Tsubame-Sanjo in Niigata. It is not possible to mention every Japanese knife brand here — long-famous names of more than a hundred years such as Masamoto, or the many well-known individual smiths. Beyond that, there are a great many brands made to serve specific needs in Japan, in particular shapes and steels; if your requirement is a very specific one, this article cannot answer it fully.
- A beautiful knife is expensive, and beauty says nothing about performance By this I mean Damascus-patterned knives, hammered (tsuchime) knives and blackened knives. I do not mean that a beautiful knife performs poorly. What I mean is that Damascus pattern, hammer finish and blackening are all decorative treatments. Of course a knife taken through these processes has good performance to begin with — but a plain-looking knife is in no way inferior. There is no problem at all if you love how it looks; it simply is not the case that a more beautiful knife outperforms a plain one.
- Do not forget the care Remember that every metal knife has to be sharpened — every one of them. For knives that are not used for work demanding an exceptional edge, I recommend sharpening on a 1000-grit stone; and for Japanese knives I strongly recommend a stone made in Japan, because it cuts metal well (I recommend Naniwa for its consistent grit). Edges finer than that are for specialised work such as sushi and sashimi, or for jobs needing a very fine finish, such as fruit. Some very sharp, expensive knives can be exceptionally hard to sharpen — those made of Aogami, for example, and especially an Aogami Yanagiba, which has to be sharpened across the whole face. I have done it myself, and I can tell you it is extremely difficult, very tiring, and it also calls for a stone that cuts metal exceptionally fast.
In my experience, every Japanese knife is made with real intent: sourcing the steel for the properties required, seeking out modern technology and good technique for production, and putting skilled craftsmen to work who never stop refining what they make. So I believe this article may be no more than the first door opening onto the world of Japanese knives for you, the reader.