The samurai sword is an icon of ancient japan. In ancient japan swords were a symbol of insignia or rank associated with the warrior class. These warriors were the like lords or dukes of medieval Europe and were of high stature. In 1876 the Imperil Haitorei regulation abolished the public display of samurai swords. This decree put hundreds of skilled blacksmith jobs at risk. Luckily the craft was continued as an art form with modern examples fetching tens of thousands of dollars for a well-made sword. These sword making techniques which produce some of the sharpest man-made objects are now available to the home chef.
When one begins to take home cooking seriously an upgrade to a German made knife seems like a quantum leap forward but it is not the end all be all. German knife making is centered around Slogen Germany. An area my metal polishing grandfather was kicked out of in the 1800’s for illegally hunting on the Kings land. Today modern Slogen is a technical marvel. 10,000lb rolls of steel are unwound to a robotically automated assembly line. The thick sheet metal is moved down a conveyer belt where laser cutting machines zap out the knive shape, robots then sharpen and packages the finished knives. While these knives are good for cooking and represent a high quality product they cannot compare to a hand-made blacksmithed Japanese knife. With all the automation in this world it’s time we go back to artisan made goods; we all deserve it anyways.
Knife making in modern Japan is centered in Osaka Sakai City. Japan like Germany also produces Knifes made in robot automated assembly lines. The secret is learning how to distinguish the difference as the handmade knife are much shaper. Mass produced knives are made from a huge roll of stainless steel. Stainless steel is predominantly iron and 10% chromium. Stainless steel is not stained by foods and can be thrown in a dishwasher with no worries. Blacksmithed knives are considered a high carbon steel. High carbon steels are predominantly soft iron and carbon. High carbon steels rust easily and should be hand washed and dried. Never put a high carbon blade in a dish washer.
The best blacksmithed knives are considered Damascus steel knives. While first found in archeological digs around Syria these ancient blades were different than European steel. When looked at closely the edge on Damascus steel has many alternating layers of carbon and steel like an Oreo cookie. Archeologists believe the origin of these steels was Asia, most likely northern India. Were the ancient middle-eastern civilizations trading with Asia? Why is the imperial seal of Japan as well as the imperial seal of Solomon a yellow desert chrysanthemum? Where did those 10 northern kingdoms of Israel “wonder” off to? Many Questions but back to the steel. True Damascus steel is ultra-sharp as these layers get thinned down to just a couple layers when sharpened. Your cutting edge becomes hair thin which creates a nano-blade. Today any knife with these stripes is considered Damascus steel but most of it is just etched into the face of the knife for looks. True Demascus steel is determined by looking at the spine of the blade opposite the cutting edge. It is only here where the layers can be spotted. If you cannot see them the blade was mass produced and is not true Damascus.
During samurai sword making and also true Damascus steel knife making soft iron and hard high carbon steel is literally pounded together by a blacksmith. Tonzou the Japanese word for forging is the process of forming a tool by pounding metals at high temperatures. Over and over the blacksmith heats the iron and carbon steels to cherry red to make them fuse and pounds them flat. The flat iron/carbon fusion is then folded over to make 4 layers. The 4 layers are heated, pounded, and folded again to make 8 layers. Sometimes up to 64 layer knives are made. The soft iron give samurai swords flexibility and the carbon gave the blade strength and hardness. Any blade without flexibility and hardness would break during battle a fatal fate for a warrior. An inflexible blade would crack in half and a soft blade would literally be cut in half by the enemy. Sword makers where some of the highest paid artisans in ancient Japan. Some samurai would hire out family members to hard field labor for years to pay for one sword.
The main point is to look at the spine of the knife for the black and silver lines. This is evidence of a handmade high carbon blade. Many knives today have a Damascus appearance on the face of the blade but it is only cosmetic. In ancient Japan sword makers would paint their finished blades with soil and reheat them. The process with etch a design into the blade to identify the artistry of the sword maker. This etching is only cosmetic and has nothing to do with the way the blade was forged. It is however a nice tough to a finished blade but don’t let it deceive you.
For my knife test I selected several knives in three different styles I was looking to purchase. I did some basic cutting experiments here are the results.
Test #1 Sashimi/Sujihiki a protein knife primarily used for thinly slicing fish or meat. I used a room temperature beef ribeye for my test; very soft. My score was based upon sharpness 10 points, end cut 10 points (ability to cleanly finish cut when knife touches cutting board), and knife handle 10 points.
Mcusta Zanmai Ultimate Aronami 240mm $499 8/7/8.5 23.5/30
Notes: No carbon lines is this a machine made Knife?
Tso Yanagiba Damascus 8.25” VG10 34 layers $108 9/8/8 25/30
Notes: Carbon lines visible, octagonal handle has hard edges. Close 2nd very good knife,
A price bargain.
Senzo Suncraft 8.25” Sashimi VG10 $179 9/10/9 28/30*
Notes: Best sashimi knife as the end cut test was superior; knife would slice all the way through to the cutting board without leaving an uncut sliver near the knife tip. Carbon lines visible. Both the Tso and the Senzo were wedged shaped with a flat side and an angled side; a clear indication of being hammered on an anvil; hand made.
Nakiri Vegetable slicer. For this test I used a jumbo sweet onion for my test. Two tests Sharpness 10 points and handle 10 points.
Mcusta Zanmai Ultimate Aronami Nakiri 165mm $349 6/9 15/20
Notes: Did not cut onion slices straight, difficult to make thin slices, and was not that sharp. No lines visible. Thicker handle for big hands.
Mcusta Zanmai Kuromami 6.5” Nakiri $349 6/10 16/20
Notes: Basically the Same knife as Ultimate Aronami, No Lines visible on spine, Demascus pattern on knife face was identical to the ultimate Aronami as if both were machine made. Handle slightly thinner felt better in my hands I wear large gloves.
Senzo Suncraft 7” kakiri VG10 $169 9.5/9 18.5/20*
Notes: Lines on blade spine, cuts thin slices of onion like butter.
Pairing Knife fruit carver. I performed this test coring and cutting hard apples. Cutting 10 points, Coring 10 points.
TSO Pairing Knife 3.5” VG10 67 layer $40 8/7 15/20
Notes: Carbon Lines on spine, thicker blade not great for apple coring.
Shun Classic 3.5” Paring $84 8/9 17/20
Notes: Carbon lines on spine, very close second can recommend this knife.
Miyabi Fusion 3.5” paring $99 8/8 16/20
Notes: No carbon lines.
Mcusta Zanmai Classic 3.5” Paring $119 8/10 18/20*
Notes: No lines; appears to be mechanically made but has superior coring ability
due to blade thinness. Seemed to break the rules, razor sharp. Large handle seems
oversized for a small knife but when placed in palm performs tasks very well.
As you can see there is a lot to be learned about choosing a good Japanese kitchen knife. With today’s easy return online retailers you can buy several and choose the best knives. Just remember not to dish wash these knifes hand wash them within minutes of use with soap and a soft nylon brush. Hand dry quickly and you should have no problems returning. Lastly sharpening with a 3000/8000 grit stone is essential in maintaining the edge of a good kitchen knife. That is a whole topic in its self however. Enjoying the benefits of a razor sharp Japanese Kitchen knifes can make you a better chef. Sharp knives are safer to handle as your applying less force with less risk of slippage. Discovering the benefits of a true Damascus high carbon steel blade can bring you closer to the food gods.
