Japanese Knives: TOP Brands and Famous Production Areas
If you’re looking for a Japanese kitchen knife, it’s risky to buy a non-branded one. This is because there are a lot of unknown and suspicious Japanese-style knives for sale on the Internet.
There are 3 famous production areas of kitchen knives in Japan. Along with the history and characteristics of each production area, I introduce famous brands.
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Table of Contents
Seki City (Gifu Prefecture)
History
Seki City (Wiki) has been producing Japanese swords for more than 750 years. It is known for producing high quality swords that satisfy all of the following requirements: not breaking, not bending, and cutting well. Seki City has taken advantage of this technology and is now a major manufacturing area for Western-style kitchen knives.
Major Brands in Seki city
KAI Group: The current head office is in Tokyo, but the birthplace is Seki City. The market share of domestic kitchen knives in Japan is the top. The KAI knives can be bought at any home center or supermarket in Japan, but the quality varies depending on the price range. “Shun” brand is of KAI Group.
Kai Housewares store on Amazon.com
Misono: Very simple and practical kitchen knives are loved by chefs all over the world.
ZWILLING: ZWILLING is a German company, but its MIYABI Knife line is produced at a Knife Factory in Seki. (For more information, see “Why MIYABI Knives Are Made in Japan“.)
Seki Kotetsu: Although it is not a very famous brand, the santoku knife (Wiki) is one of the best-selling knives on Amazon.co.jp because of its good cost performance.
Sakai City (Osaka Prefecture)
History
In the 5th century, the forging and steelmaking technique was introduced to Sakai City, and since then it has become a production area of swords and guns known for their high quality.
Sakai knives account for nearly 90% of the market for professional Japanese knives.
Major Brands in Sakai city
There are many small factories that are specialized in different processes, and not many famous brands in Sakai City.
“Some of” Yoshihiro knives are made by one of them. But be warned. The Yoshihiro knife popular in North America may not be the same brand as the Yoshihiro knife popular in Japan and Europe.
See also: The Truth About “Yoshihiro” Knives Which Are Not Widely Known in Japan
AOKI-HAMONO: This is the company that owns the “Sakai Takayuki” (堺孝行) brand. They produce a variety of specialty kitchen knives for professionals, including stainless steel chef’s knives.
Tsubame City (Niigata Prefecture)
History
Tsubame City started with the production of Japanese nails in the 17 century and is now a major production area of metalworking products that represent Japan.
Major Brands in Tsubame city
They have a reputation for knives made of stainless steel or composite materials because of their excellent metal processing technology.
GLOBAL: The “GLOBAL” series of all-stainless steel kitchen knives, first introduced in 1983, has received high acclaim around the world. The sharpness is good because of the special shape of the blade, but the way of sharpening is a little special.
Tojiro: It is a company that manufactures kitchen knives for business and home use. Products with excellent cost performance are attractive.
Glestain: Glestain’s knife manufacturing company is not located in Tsubame City, but in the same Niigata Prefecture. For more information, see the following article:
Quick Guide: About Glestain Knives and How to Buy Them Cheaply
Other Famous Brands
I would like to introduce 2 brands that are highly supported by traditional Japanese cooks and are called “Aritsugu in the West, Masamoto in the East”.
Aritsugu
With over 450 years of history, the Aritsugu (有次) is a very popular cookware shop. Aritsugu has not only kitchen knives but also first-class handmade cooking tools. There is no online shop and you have to go to Kyoto to buy it now. Western knives are also sold, but the lineup mainly consists of all-steel Japanese knives with particular attention to cutting quality.
My mother has been using this kitchen knife for more than 30 years. It needs to be sharpened sometimes, but its sharpness is wonderful.
- http://www.kyoto-nishiki.or.jp/stores/aritsugu/ (Japanese language only)
- Aritsugu – Wikipedia
Tsukiji Aritsugu in Tokyo (Official site, Japanese only) is a store separated from the original Aritsugu (Kyoto). Tsukiji Aritsugu is easier to get and is also popular. Tsukiji Aritsugu also have stainless knives.
Masamoto
This kitchen knife shop has been popular among chefs in Tokyo since the Edo period. The original company is Masamoto Sohonten (正本 総本店) and has a store in Azumabashi.
Masamoto Sohonten official website
Tsukiji Masamoto is a store separated from the original Masamoto Sohonten. However, Tsukiji Masamoto is also known for its high quality as it is used regularly by Rokusaburo Michiba who is known as a master of Japanese cuisine. Tsukiji Masamoto’s knives are marked with “(秀)” so you can tell them apart.
Tsukiji Masamoto official website (Japanese only)
In addition, Sugimoto (杉本) is a famous kitchen knife shop in Tsukiji. This chef’s knives are very popular in eastern Japan.
Related Page:
Ultimate Guide to Buying Authentic Japanese Knives
