Kitchen Shears in a Japanese Kitchen: What They Are For and What Makes a Pair Worth Owning
In a Japanese kitchen, shears take over the jobs most likely to chip a thin, hard knife edge: poultry joints,
Workshop Notes
Guides, wood stories, and care notes for choosing and maintaining Japanese wa handles.
Japanese Natural Whetstones: Reading the Stone and Its Lore
A Japanese natural whetstone, or tennen toishi, is sedimentary stone quarried around Kameoka in Kyoto Prefecture. The prefecture’s museum listing
How to Ease a Sharp Japanese Knife Spine and Choil
Many Japanese knives arrive with a squared, sometimes sharp spine and choil—the exposed section at the heel between the cutting
Japanese Knife Blade Finishes: What Changes at the Sink
Kurouchi means the black forge scale is retained; migaki means polished; nashiji is the pear-skin texture left after scale removal;
Sarashi and Fukin: The Two Cloths a Japanese Kitchen Runs On
Choose the cloth by the job: use sarashi when a plain cotton cloth needs to touch food, and use a
Held by Shape: Why the Japanese Kitchen Trusts Fit Over Glue
Much of the Japanese kitchen is held together by shape because fit can carry force and leave an object serviceable.
How to Hold a Japanese Knife
For a gyuto (Japanese chef’s knife), santoku (general-purpose knife) or bunka (angular-tipped multipurpose knife), pinch the blade between your thumb
How to Give a Knife as a Gift Without Bad Luck
To give a knife without the traditional bad luck, tape a small coin to the box or card and let
Your First Whetstone Setup: What You Need on Day One
You need one medium stone, around 1000 grit, chosen with the whetstone grit guide; something that stops it sliding, either
How to Flatten a Whetstone—and How Often
To flatten a whetstone, mark its face with a pencil grid and lap it on a flat, compatible flattening tool.
Can You Use a Honing Rod on a Japanese Knife?
Use a rod only if your knife maker recommends that tool and method. Japanese knives vary, and steel, ceramic and
What Is a Yanagiba?
A yanagiba is a long, narrow, single-bevel Japanese slicer for cutting boneless fish for sashimi and sushi in one drawing
Hinoki in the Japanese Kitchen: Shrine, Forest, Bath, Tub and Board
Why does one cypress run through the Japanese kitchen? Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) links Ise Jingu, the Shinto shrine complex at
Buying Guides
Hinoki Cutting Board Care: What Darkening Means and How to Stop It
Wet a hinoki (Japanese cypress) board before use. Afterwards, wash it in cool water with a little mild detergent, working
How to Fix a Broken Knife Tip or a Deep Chip
A broken tip is re-profiled, not “sharpened out.” Bring the edge line up to meet the spine, keeping height and
Donabe explained: clay, heat, and the reason for seasoning
A donabe is a lidded earthenware pot made to cook over a direct flame. Earthenware is fired clay that remains
Saibashi: What Long Japanese Cooking Chopsticks Are For
Saibashi (Japanese cooking chopsticks) are usually about 30 cm long. They keep your hand farther from heat and oil while
What Is a Hamaguri Edge? Convex Geometry Explained
A hamaguri-ba, or “clam-shell edge,” is a cross-section that curves gently from the blade face to the apex—the fine line