wirth.jason
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- Feb 7, 2014
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I'm currently in Japan visiting my girlfriend and want to get a (many?) Japanese knife. Probably I'll add a 240mm gyuto and a 210mm petty/suji, both in a wa-handle to my collection.
I went to Kappabashi to look at all the different knife shops (as well as general cooking stores, the trip pleasantly took the entire afternoon). While the shops had Japanese knives for days, I felt rather underwhelmed with the selection of Western-style knives, particularly in a wa-handle.
The knife I liked the most was a 240mm white steel gyuto for 15,800 yen (~$160 USD) at Kamata (link).
I couldn't find much information about the knife, only the basic info and that it's Kamata's house brand. ("Who makes this knife?" "Ah, this store's brand.") Does anyone have any experience with house brands?
It seems that house brands are quite popular as other stores carry their own house brands rather than brands mentioned on these forums. I wonder if the popularity of Kappabashi for tourists, and as western-style Japanese knives have become more popular, means the stores stop stocking well known brands and just contract out.
That said, the knife is probably pretty decent, although I just handled it and didn't cut anything. I don't think I would be buying a bad knife, but perhaps better knives can be found. Being in Japan I was hoping to find a little more selection. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?
I went to Kappabashi to look at all the different knife shops (as well as general cooking stores, the trip pleasantly took the entire afternoon). While the shops had Japanese knives for days, I felt rather underwhelmed with the selection of Western-style knives, particularly in a wa-handle.
The knife I liked the most was a 240mm white steel gyuto for 15,800 yen (~$160 USD) at Kamata (link).
I couldn't find much information about the knife, only the basic info and that it's Kamata's house brand. ("Who makes this knife?" "Ah, this store's brand.") Does anyone have any experience with house brands?
It seems that house brands are quite popular as other stores carry their own house brands rather than brands mentioned on these forums. I wonder if the popularity of Kappabashi for tourists, and as western-style Japanese knives have become more popular, means the stores stop stocking well known brands and just contract out.
That said, the knife is probably pretty decent, although I just handled it and didn't cut anything. I don't think I would be buying a bad knife, but perhaps better knives can be found. Being in Japan I was hoping to find a little more selection. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions?