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Guide
Victorinox, Tojiro or Takamura: choosing an everyday knife
Three options with different priorities: initial cost, a first Japanese gyuto, or a very thin edge. Here is what I know and what I have not tested.
4 min read Ownership notes + researched comparison buying
Guide
Your first kitchen kit: what to buy and what can wait
A Victorinox or Tojiro, a useful board and one sharpening stone. A small starting kit you can grow with.
3 min read Research-led buying guide buying
Guide
Who made your knife? A beginner's guide to the people behind it
The name on the blade is only a starting point. Meet the smith, sharpener and handle maker, and learn how to read a knife listing.
3 min read Research-led guide makers
Sharpening
King or Shapton: choosing your first sharpening stone
Start with one 1000-grit stone. King is my value choice; Shapton is my convenience choice. Here is what actually changes.
3 min read Research-led guide sharpening
Guide
Morihiro and his students: reading Sakai wide bevels without flattening them
A source-led guide to the Morihiro sharpening lineage through one Reddit wide-bevel comparison: Morihiro, Nishida, Kyuzo/Yauchi and Tadokoro.
7 min read Community-sourced guide culture
Maker spotlight
Yoshikane Hamono: Sanjo knives, geometry and care
Yoshikane is based in Sanjo, Niigata.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Wakui: Sanjo knives and the differences between lines
Japanese Natural Stones describes Toshihiro Wakui’s family background in forged tools and his training at Yoshikane.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Toyama Noborikoi: Sanjo gyuto and buying considerations
Japanese Natural Stones describes Noborikoi as a line made by Syuuji Toyama in Sanjo.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Takada no Hamono: Sakai sharpening and convex grinds
Takada’s official profile describes his time at Ashi Hamono and the establishment of Takada no Hamono in 2018.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Nigara Hamono: history, finishes and knife ranges
Nigara’s maker and retailer material connects the workshop in Hirosaki, Aomori, with the Tsugaru blade-making tradition.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Nakagawa Hamono: blacksmithing in Sakai
Linked retailer profiles describe Satoshi Nakagawa’s training under Kenichi Shiraki and the establishment of his own Sakai workshop after Shiraki’s retirement.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Myojin Riki Seisakusho: sharpening and finishing
Retailer profiles describe Myojin Riki Seisakusho as a Kochi-based workshop involving Tateo and Naohito Myojin.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Moritaka Hamono: carbon steel knives and care
Moritaka’s published history places the workshop in a long family blade-making tradition in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Konosuke: understanding its makers and knife lines
Konosuke’s own material describes handmade knives produced with skilled craftspeople.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Steel guide
How knife steel is made: raw materials, melting and refining
A friendly map of how steel moves from ore or scrap into controlled blade material, and why heat treatment and grind still matter more than mythology.
5 min read Research guide culture
Maker spotlight
Hado: a Sakai knife brand and its craftspeople
HADO’s official material presents it as a Sakai knife brand built around handcraft.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Baba Hamono and Kagekiyo: Sakai knives and craftsmanship
I met people at Baba Hamono during my visit to Japan.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Maker spotlight
Ashi Hamono: the Ginga range and thin knife geometry
Ashi Hamono is a Sakai workshop associated with the Ginga range.
2 min read Maker profile culture
Steel history
A short history of Japanese steel manufacturing: tatara, Yawata, Yasugi and VG10
A practical timeline from iron-sand tatara steel through Meiji industrialisation to modern Yasugi and Takefu knife steels.
6 min read Research guide culture
Guide
VG10, Ginsan, Aogami and Shirogami: a kitchen knife steel guide
A practical guide to common Japanese knife steels and what they mean for maintenance, sharpening and everyday prep.
2 min read Guide guide
Review brief
Shapton stones: ranges, preparation and care
Shapton Kuromaku / Pro 1000 is my suggested starting point when short preparation time matters.
2 min read Research brief sharpening
Guide
Sakai, Seki and Sanjo: the region map beginners should know
A beginner-friendly guide to three major Japanese knife regions and why region labels help but never tell the full story.
2 min read Guide guide
Guide
Knife steel metallurgy for cooks: hard, tough, stainless, sharp
A friendly primer on hardness, toughness, edge retention, corrosion resistance, carbides and why no knife steel wins everything.
2 min read Guide guide
Guide
Kitchen knife shapes: choosing a profile for your cooking
A practical map of the knife profiles that actually earn drawer space: chef knife, gyuto, santoku, nakiri, petty, paring, bread knife and the specialists.
3 min read Guide guide
Review brief
King whetstones: choosing and caring for a starter stone
King Deluxe 1000 is a medium-grit starting point for routine kitchen-knife sharpening.
2 min read Research brief sharpening
Guide
Japanese knife culture: makers, regions and workshop roles
A practical introduction to Japanese knife culture: respect, specialization, maintenance and why the romance should never outrun the cooking.
2 min read Guide guide
Guide
How Japanese kitchen knives are made: steel, fire, grind, handle
A clear tour through the making process: steel choice, forging, heat treatment, grinding, sharpening, finishing and handle fitting.
2 min read Guide guide
Review brief
Hinoki cutting boards: benefits, limitations and care
Hinoki is Japanese cypress.
2 min read Research brief maintenance
Guide
Hasegawa, Asahi and hinoki: choosing a cutting board
Compare board construction, size and care requirements before replacing a board you already own.
3 min read Guide maintenance
Review brief
Hasegawa cutting boards: construction, sizes and care
Hasegawa makes wood-core cutting boards with different surface materials.
2 min read Research brief maintenance
Review brief
Asahi rubber cutting boards: use and care
Asahi Cookin Cut is a synthetic-rubber cutting-board range.
2 min read Research brief maintenance
Guide
Chef knife vs gyuto: choosing your all-purpose blade
The chef knife and gyuto solve the same problem with different geometry, weight and cutting rhythm.
2 min read Guide guide
Guide
Santoku profile guide: the compact all-rounder
The santoku is short, controlled and efficient when a full chef knife feels oversized.
2 min read Guide guide
Guide
Nakiri knives: a guide to the vegetable knife profile
A nakiri is a flat-edged vegetable knife, not a cleaver and not a chef knife replacement.
2 min read Guide guide
Guide
Petty, paring and utility knives: the small-blade guide
Small knives are not interchangeable: paring, petty and utility blades each solve a different kind of awkward prep.
2 min read Guide guide
Guide
Bread knives: when to use a serrated edge
Serrated knives are not just for bread. They are the right answer for crust, tomato skin, citrus and delicate cake.
2 min read Guide guide
Guide
Boning, fillet, slicer and Asian cleaver profiles: specialist blades explained
Specialist knives make sense only when the job is repeated enough to justify the shape, including light Asian cleavers and cai dao for board prep.
2 min read Guide guide
Guide
Choosing a first chef’s knife: models and buying checks
A broader chef’s-knife shortlist, with model checks and clear limits on the evidence.
3 min read Guide guide
Review brief
Victorinox Fibrox 20 cm: an everyday chef’s knife
A researched starting point for everyday prep: a 20 cm stainless blade and a moulded, non-slip handle.
2 min read Research brief review
Review brief
Mercer Genesis 8 inch: grip, construction and care
Mercer Genesis 8 inch: grip, construction and care. Specifications, suitability and limitations, based on published sources.
2 min read Research brief review
Review brief
Mercer Renaissance 8 inch: a Western chef’s knife
Mercer Renaissance 8 inch: a Western chef’s knife. Specifications, suitability and limitations, based on published sources.
2 min read Research brief review
Review brief
Tojiro DP 210 mm: ownership notes and spine comfort
My Tojiro DP was thin and sharp out of the box. Its unfinished spine was the drawback during longer sessions.
2 min read Owned / long-term reference review
Review brief
Global G-2: blade, handle and buying considerations
Global G-2: blade, handle and buying considerations. Specifications, suitability and limitations, based on published sources.
2 min read Research brief review
Review brief
MAC MTH-80: an 8 inch chef’s knife with dimples
MAC MTH-80: an 8 inch chef’s knife with dimples. Specifications, suitability and limitations, based on published sources.
2 min read Research brief review
Review brief
Wüsthof Classic 8 inch: blade, bolster and care
Wüsthof Classic 8 inch: blade, bolster and care. Specifications, suitability and limitations, based on published sources.
2 min read Research brief review
Review brief
Henckels Classic 8 inch: construction and buying checks
Henckels Classic 8 inch: construction and buying checks. Specifications, suitability and limitations, based on published sources.
2 min read Research brief review
Review brief
Zwilling Pro 20 cm: handle, bolster and blade profile
Zwilling Pro 20 cm: handle, bolster and blade profile. Specifications, suitability and limitations, based on published sources.
2 min read Research brief review
Sharpening
Sharpening basics: burr, angle and pressure
How to form an edge, control your angle and pressure, and remove the burr with one medium-grit stone.
2 min read Practical guide sharpening
Sharpening
Honing and sharpening: what each method does
Honing rods and stones do different work. Use the rod lightly when it helps; use stones when steel must be removed.
2 min read Practical guide sharpening
Sharpening
Whetstone grits: when to use 1000, 3000 or 6000
Start with one medium stone. Learn when a coarser or finer grit has a useful job.
3 min read Practical guide sharpening
Sharpening
Stropping and deburring: finishing a kitchen knife edge
Learn burr removal on the stone, then decide whether an optional strop would help.
3 min read Practical guide sharpening
Maintenance
Daily knife care: washing, drying and storage
A simple care routine for stainless, carbon, wood handles and the board you probably underthink.
2 min read Practical guide maintenance
Maintenance
Cutting boards and storage: protecting your knife edge
The board and storage system can make a good edge last or quietly ruin it between meals.
2 min read Practical guide maintenance
Maintenance
Stainless and carbon steel: patina, rust and care
What stainless and carbon actually ask from you, why patina is normal and when orange rust needs action.
2 min read Practical guide maintenance