Japanese Knives
All-Purpose Kitchen Knives
Vegetable Knives and Chopping Knives
Fish Knives, Sushi Knives, Chinese Knives, Noodle Knives
Kitchen Knives made of Powder metallurgy High Speed Steel
Hideo Kitaoka Handmade Kitchen Knives
Hideo Kitaoka VG-10 Steel Kitchen Knives
Katsushige Anryu Handmade Kitchen Knives and Noodle Knives
Masanobu Okada Takobiki
Takeshi Saji SG-2 Steel Kitchen Knives
Echizen Japan Damascus Steel Knives with VG10 Core Series 1210
Ice Bear Knives made of stainless VG10 Steel
Shikisai Nami Damascus Kitchen Knives
Takeshi Saji Handmade Pocket Knives (Higonokami)
Miyamoto Handmade Pocket Knives (Higonokami)
Kevin Wilkins Kitchen Knives
Japanese Kitchen Knives - Economy Line
Oroshi-Gane - Graters for Ginger, Radish (Wasabi), Garlic and other Roots and Vegetables
Utility Knives
Woodcarving and Veneer Knives
Camellia Oil
Rust Erazer
Whetstones
Book: Japanese Kitchen Knives - Essential Techniques and Recipes
Sharpening Instructions
Making of Japanese Knives
View the Smithy of Hideo Kitaoka
If you find it hard to choose the right stone from the number of different whetstones we offer, we recommend one of these two stones for your fine knives. If you don't have a lot of experience with these kinds of stones, we recommend the stone with 1000/3000 grain. For those with a little knowledge of the process, we recommend the 1000/6000 grain stone for a really razor-sharp edge. The 1000 grain side is for sharpening, and the 3000 or 6000 grain side is for removing the fine burr that develops along the edge during the sharpening process. These stones should be lubricated with water only!
Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should one use a sharpening steel or any of the other patented sharpening devices on the market. If there was a good one out there, we would sell it. They may promise a revolutionary way to simplify sharpening a knife, but this is simply marketing twaddle. One needs only to read the instructions we include with every knife and every stone we sell, and then to practice a little. The result will be the truly sharp, long-lasting, and easy-to resharpen edge that your fine knives deserve.
Small CERAX combination stone with 3000 grit honing side
for sharpening an honing. This is the stone to get fast results specially on knives.
Grain Size: 1000/3000
Size: 182 mm x 62 mm x 27 mm
Order nr. 312074
Price ✱€ 34.50
Small CERAX combination stone with 6000 grit honing side
for sharpening an honing. The 6000 grit honing side allows finest edges.
Grain Size: 1000/6000
Size: 182 mm x 62 mm x 27 mm
Order nr. 312073
Price ✱€ 34.50
If you would like to buy a Japanese knife, you should first read the following notes.
Preparing food is a real pleasure if you have a sharp knife. You can forget the suffering induced by knives that are better at flattening tomatoes than slicing them if you start using Japanese kitchen knives and following a few simple rules.
| Hard cutting steel between two layers of iron | The traditional Japanese knife known as the "Hocho" is usually forge-welded from two or three layers of steel and iron.
Within this group the "ryoba" (=double-sided) type has the cutting steel embedded between two toughened iron layers. These knives are sharpened from both sides. The "kataba" (=single-sided) type has the cutting steel forge-welded to one layer of iron. These knives are sharpened form one side only and are especially suitable for filleting tasks. |
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| Two layers of iron to reduce brittleness |
You do need to get the feel of these knives. Also, remember that the sharper a blade, the more delicate. So Hocho knives should not be put in the dishwasher. Pieces of cutlery are knocked together in the dishwashing process, and the blade may be damaged.
Traditional Japanese knives are not stainless. This is another reason not to take them near a dishwasher. The same thing is true today as in years gone by: the best knife blades are made of carbon steel, which simply is not stainless. However, it requires only a little care to keep them from getting rusty. Just dry them after use! Only before a long period of non-use does the blade need to receive a smear of oil. The best protection is Camellia Oil.
What should you do if the knife gets rusty all the same? It is not a real problem, the rust disappears when you sharpen the knife. Additionally you can use a Rust Erazer, which is made of silicon carbide particles embedded in silicon, before sharpening. This is a fast and efficient way to remove the rust.
No knife will remain sharp for ever. The best way to sharpen Japanese Hocho knives is on Japanese waterstones. Even if you have never done it before, you will soon manage it with a bit of practice. There are instructions supplied with each knife. Dry running grinding wheels are completely the wrong thing, and sharpening steels not a good idea.
The great hardness of the Hocho blade (approx. 59 - 64 HRC) means that it is not as springy as conventional European knives. If you have bent it, it will not go back automatically to its original shape.
As long as you remember these points, you will long enjoy using your Hocho.
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