Are Japanese Carving Knives As Good As The Western Ones?
Sujikihi knives The Sujihiki or Subihiki - as some also call them - is the Japanese version of the slicing Western knives. Sujihiki knives are…
How Do I Check If My Kitchen Knife Is Still Sharp?
To understand sharpness you must first understand the definition of an edge. An edge is the line of intersection of two surfaces. A highly sharpened…
Knife Drawer, Knife Stand or Magnetic Rack – What Is Better?
The eternal problem - how to best store your knives and other tools which you often reach for? When it comes to storing your quality…
Guide: Kitchen Knife Handle Types And Materials
Knife Handle Materials While you may already know everything about steel and different blade's components used in Japanese knives, we thought to also give a…
Top 10 Knife Care Tips We Learned From Professionals
Before starting Japana and getting deeper knowledge in knives, myself and Anna almost never sharpened our knives before they were completely unusable (We know! It's…
Tobacco, Portuguese & The Japanese Knives: The History Of Sakai Knives
What do the Portuguese and tobacco have in common with Sakai knife making a tradition in the Sakai region? More than you would think. Sakai,…
How To Mount A Blade To A Knife Handle?
The importance of health and safety is something that is much maligned by many across the country, thanks to the by-the-book rigidity that it is…
The Difference between Aogami #2 and Aogami Super Blue
The Queen of the steels - Aogami Blue Super (Hitachi Metals Ltd.) is one of the greatest Japanese Carbon Steels. In addition to containing more…
Steel Qualities Of Kitchen Knives – A Cheat Sheet
No more words than needed - today we're presenting you a quick cheat sheet to steel qualities of kitchen (and not only) knives and a…
What Is Yasugi Steel And What Makes It So Great?
Originally Yasugi (Yasuki) steel was made from the steel produced from sand iron at a plant in Yasugi City in Shimane perfecture. Tartara steel is…
What Is Rockwell Hardness (a.ka. HRC)?
Whenever possible, our knives are rated for how hard they are with what is called the Rockwell rating or measurement (HRC) of the steel. You…
Different Types of Kitchen Knives, What They’re Used For
As a dedicated cook or professional chef, it is not unusual to have big sets of more than a dozen different types of kitchen knives…
How To De-Rust And Sharpen An Old Knife To Reveal A Beautifully Shiny Blade (video)
We stumbled upon this video and we had to share it. This video is not only relaxing and somehow..satisfying, but also demonstrates perfect sharpening tricks.…
All About Cooking Knives
A coarse, dull cooking knife makes your kitchen efforts wasted and you struggle instead of enjoying the process of cooking. And that is definitely not the…
Japana Team Latest Trip To Takefu & Sakai – Japanese Knife Villages
When starting Japana we wanted more people in Europe to discover incredible sharpness and beauty of Japanese knives. Little that we knew how many obstacles…
Japanese Kitchen Knife Types And Styles
Although the art of blades-making has been long popular in Japan. The trend of manufacturing of highly specialised cooking knives became widespread only in the…
What’s the Difference Between German and Japanese Knives?
Whether Japanese, Swiss or German, each type of knife has been influenced by its culture. The Japanese believe in need of having a perfect tool…
Western Vs. Japanese Knife Types
The fundamental difference between Western style knives and their Japanese counterparts, is the fact, that the Western knife is sharpened on both sides of the…
Are Japanese Knives Worth Their Price?
While aesthetic definitely plays a part, it’s not only what can make Japanese knives so expensive. The high cost is a result of many factors: the…
Do I Need A Sashimi Or Yanagiba Knife For Sushi?
One thing that makes traditional Japanese knives different from Western ones is the fact that many types are honed only on one side; the right…
Shirogami (#1) & Aogami (#2) Steels – The Difference
In this article, we will explain the differences between Shirogami (also called #1 steel) and Aogami (also called #2 steel). The words Ao and Shiro mean…
Guide To The Best Knife Steel: VG10, Blue Steel And More
Whether you’re a professional kitchen chef or an amateur cook, Japanese knife you should pay particular attention to the type of steel used in the…
3 Ways You May Be Ruining Your Japanese Knives
Are you ruining your Japanese knives? Like most high-quality equipment, these knives need a little love and care. When sharing things with other people, we…
Knife steel composition chart
As an deeper analysis of our Guide to the Best Knife Steel, we’ve compiled the reference table below showing the most popular types of knife steel and…
The Difference Between A Single & A Double Edged Blade
In European tradition, knives are bevelled on both sides of the blade; coming to a point in the middle. In Japanese tradition, however, the bevel…
How To Take Care Of Your Japanese Kitchen Knives: What To Do To Avoid Rust
Japanese knives (“wa-bōchō”) and Japanese swords (“nihontō”) are made in the same way. Not without the reason, the swords of Japan are said to have…
How To Maintain Your Kitchen Knives Like A Pro
Remember these 3 rules to give your knives a good, long life (良い長寿命): Don't put your knife in a dishwasher, ever. Store your knives either…
How To Sharpen Your Kitchen Knife
Konnichiwa! In today’s article, we’ll show you the best practices to sharpen your kitchen knife (not only Japanese ones). But before learning how to sharpen your…
