Useful
- About Japanese knives:
- Traditional Japanese knives or Wabōcho (和 包 丁) are forged by hand using a high-carbon steel called hagane. Knife
production in Japan is concentrated in the port city of Sakai in Osaka, the
leading capital of samurai sword production since the 13th century. Hagane is a
mild steel that was originally used to forge samurai swords because of its
ability to hold an extremely sharp edge. During the Edo period, strict laws
were introduced that regulated the production of swords, and later it was
completely banned in the advent of the Meiji (1868), along with the
disintegration of the samurai class. Unemployed, skilled swordsmen saw this as
an opportunity to adapt their skills and move their production from swords to
kitchen knives.
- The two classic forging methods that are
being developed are Honyaki and Kasumi. Kasumi knives are made by forging hagane
and jigane (soft iron), resulting in a soft body that is easier to maintain
(and economical) for home use. Honyaki is forged only from pure high-carbon
steel, using the same sword-making technique, thus making them the highest
quality Japanese knives, but also requires frequent sharpening due to the hard
blade.
- Over time, Japanese steel has proven that
it does not change the taste of fish and meat like other steels.