Japanese web info list

Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/ondemand/video/4001416/
Tamahagane tatara 2022. With historical images from the past and Mikami Sadanao and Masayuki

Screenshot_20230316-003843.png
Screenshot_20230316-004109.png
Screenshot_20230316-004657.png
Screenshot_20230316-003812.png
Screenshot_20230316-003847.png
 
の由来 みなもとのさわね 横浜と牛刀と源正金

日本の牛刀(洋包丁)は、文明開化 の横浜に洋食とともに、渡来し、 この牛刀を日本で最初につくった のが正堀江藤三郎合です。 は、日本刀刀法の奥伝を拝受し、 17才にして源正金を襲名し、のち に和包丁 洋包丁の制作に日本刀 鍛造法をアレンジしたのも のをつくることに成功したのです。

この刀は西洋料理店として有名 精養軒で好評を博したことから 本格的製造に着手、 横浜、 日本の 発展と共に、 現在、 60余種を全国 に送りだしてあります。

刃物一筋に生きた翁の業績には、

熟五等端宝章叙照、横浜市技能功

労者賞など数々の栄養を受けまし

た。

帝国ホテル取締役総料理長であ る村上信夫氏は、

わたしは小僧の時分からの付き

合いで、 ずい分古いんですよ、 正金さんとは。

正金の先代は確か、 七、八オで 刀鍛治の修業に出て、そののち 牛刀を研究された方でしてね。 日本のナイフの草分けですよ。

洋ものには、 いいものもありま す。

ところがですね、 日本でつくる ナイフは、刀法の伝統が生され て、焼き入れなどの技術がちが うのか、切れや、もちがすばら しいですよ。

それからもうひとつ。 われわれ調理人のちからだけで 日本の西洋料理がここまで来た んじゃなくて、いろんな方のご 「努力が実を結んだんです。

Origin of Minamoto no Sawane Yokohama, Gyuto and Minamoto no Shokin

Japanese chef knives (Western kitchen knives) came to Yokohama during the civilization and enlightenment period, along with western food. Received the secrets of the Japanese sword method, succeeded to the name of Minamoto no Shokin at the age of 17, and later succeeded in making his own by arranging the Japanese sword forging method for the production of Japanese knives and Western knives. It is.

Seiyoken, a famous Western restaurant, received favorable reviews, so full-scale production was started. With the development of Yokohama and Japan, more than 60 kinds of swords are currently being shipped all over the country.

The achievements of the old man, who devoted himself to cutlery, include:

Juku Fifth End Treasure Shosho, Yokohama City Skills Achievement

Received numerous nourishments such as the Workers' Award

rice field.

Mr. Nobuo Murakami, Executive Chef of the Imperial Hotel,

I've been with you since I was a boy

By the way, you are very old with Mr. Shokin.

If I remember correctly, the predecessor of Shokin was a person who went out to train as a swordsmith in his 7th and 8th grades, and later studied beef swords. It is a pioneer of Japanese knives.

There are also good Western foods.

However, the knives he makes in Japan are the result of the tradition of swordsmanship, and his techniques such as quenching are different.

Then another. It's not just him who has come this far in Western cuisine in Japan because of the power of our chefs, but the efforts of various people have borne fruit.

Screenshot_20230319-233058~2.png
 
Last edited:
https://cressonblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/blog-post_20.html
picture of masakane factory and some info

a lot of kitchen knife info on this blog, specifically on 高橋刃物製作所. Takahashi cutlery or mitsutomo, a specialist for gyuto.

I think this is my favorite blog I've found so far. A lot of gyuto history or manufacturing and OEM work described. So ****ing cool. Absolutely amazing to me. The manufacturer closed in 2013.

https://cressonblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/blog-post_30.html

View attachment 232861
View attachment 232857
Some fascinating posts - and some of the replies are equally so.
 
https://cressonblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/blog-post_20.html
picture of masakane factory and some info

a lot of kitchen knife info on this blog, specifically on 高橋刃物製作所. Takahashi cutlery or mitsutomo, a specialist for gyuto.

I think this is my favorite blog I've found so far. A lot of gyuto history or manufacturing and OEM work described. So ****ing cool. Absolutely amazing to me. The manufacturer closed in 2013.

https://cressonblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/blog-post_30.html

View attachment 232861
View attachment 232857
I have am refurbishing a Honesuke from this maker at the moment. Very nice.
 

Attachments

  • IMG20230324102514.jpg
    IMG20230324102514.jpg
    5.5 MB · Views: 0
  • IMG20230324102536.jpg
    IMG20230324102536.jpg
    3.6 MB · Views: 0
  • IMG20230324102456.jpg
    IMG20230324102456.jpg
    5.2 MB · Views: 0
https://ameblo.jp/akiramenai-yo/entry-12519103777.html
links to other stone and knife blogs. interview with yukinori shirataka, who forged nails for temples
....and who produced beautiful small 'knives' from the old nails removed from the temples he was making new nails for. I tapped out at 35000Y for one such beauty at an auction a year or so ago. It looked like a razor edged tear-drop on the end of an ancient metal rod, formed by the smith who made it and gnarled and twisted by the tensions of the wood which it held together.
 
....and who produced beautiful small 'knives' from the old nails removed from the temples he was making new nails for. I tapped out at 35000Y for one such beauty at an auction a year or so ago. It looked like a razor edged tear-drop on the end of an ancient metal rod, formed by the smith who made it and gnarled and twisted by the tensions of the wood which it held together.
I just sold a knife that came out of Shirataka Hamono. It was made by an apprentice though.
IMG20230317130608.jpg
IMG20230317130627.jpg
IMG20230317130645.jpg
 
I really enjoyed the tamahagane film, fascinating, especially seeing Mikami Sadanao given how much I love his fathers knives.

Much in the same vein (but probably well known by regular readers of this 'column')

https://www.hiratatantoujou.com/
and a short, quirky movie about this husband and wife team.

 
https://ameblo.jp/akiramenai-yo/entry-12519103777.html
links to other stone and knife blogs. interview with yukinori shirataka, who forged nails for temples
http://www.330mate.co.jp/PDF/English/master shitrataka/Shirataka chefknives making.pdf
I remembered reading this a year or so ago - quite an extensive picture essay around his knife production, sharpening and a chronological history together with an explanation / summary of various kanjis. Auto translated is my guess, so the language is a bit quirky. It's a Pdf so give to a few minutes to download.
I think the author is someone who pops up on Japanese auction sites, with a funny painted pebble in the pictures of the items he is selling.
 
I got a package from Japan delayed and held by customs in the US for the first time. The message was "Itemized breakdown of product composition required" via FedEx. The proxy, From Japan, asked me to write the manufacturer address and name. A lot of the items were bought second hand and didn't have a known manufacturer or address. I tried calling customer service at FedEx, and emailing the proxy, and Customs and Border Protection. It's a pretty hard requirement by the government when they request it, it seems, otherwise the package is returned to Japan. I wrote out a document and sent it to [email protected] after I was sent the package alert, with the tracking number in the subject line. I put in a different but plausible manufacturer for items without a maker that was documented. I'm not sure if I can recommend that but that's what I decided to do and it the package is on its way again to me, and released to Fedex. Hopefully this helps if anyone gets they're package hung up like this. Also, clothes are more likely to be customs - delayed, as of course items valued over $800.

From Japan gave me the wrong phone number to contact, and the right person I guess. But I had to do a lot of reading about what to do, and none of it was directly helpful necessarily. From Japan wasn't too helpful, nor was FedEx when I called them, since my dillemna was not having manufacturers for some of my items. So more respect to people who do import things and have to deal with customs law.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20230411-114314.png
    Screenshot_20230411-114314.png
    166.1 KB · Views: 0
Last edited:
I got a package from Japan delayed and held by customs in the US for the first time. The message was "Itemized breakdown of product composition required" via FedEx. The proxy, From Japan, asked me to write the manufacturer address and name. A lot of the items were bought second hand and didn't have a known manufacturer or address. I tried calling customer service at FedEx, and emailing the proxy, and Customs and Border Protection. It's a pretty hard requirement by the government when they request it, it seems, otherwise the package is returned to Japan. I wrote out a document and sent it to [email protected] after I was sent the package alert, with the tracking number in the subject line. I put in a different but plausible manufacturer for items without a maker that was documented. I'm not sure if I can recommend that but that's what I decided to do and it the package is on its way again to me, and released to Fedex. Hopefully this helps if anyone gets they're package hung up like this. Also, clothes are more likely to be customs - delayed, as of course items valued over $800.

From Japan gave me the wrong phone number to contact, and the right person I guess. But I had to do a lot of reading about what to do, and none of it was directly helpful necessarily. From Japan wasn't too helpful, nor was FedEx when I called them, since my dillemna was not having manufacturers for some of my items. So more respect to people who do import things and have to deal with customs law.
From Japan is an ok proxy in my experience. I used jauce.com from quite a while; their search interface is easy to navigate, the customer service is very good, especially if you need further information/images from the sellers. Packaging is excellent, as is the ability to set the value of the invoice (although at a cost; if you live in a country with high import duties and taxes this can be a useful offset combined with the risk factor of damage to items, which I have experienced once). Downside is the fee, packaging fee and slightly higher shipping fees. When you have used them a few times, they provide a credit service.
 
From Japan is an ok proxy in my experience. I used jauce.com from quite a while; their search interface is easy to navigate, the customer service is very good, especially if you need further information/images from the sellers. Packaging is excellent, as is the ability to set the value of the invoice (although at a cost; if you live in a country with high import duties and taxes this can be a useful offset combined with the risk factor of damage to items, which I have experienced once). Downside is the fee, packaging fee and slightly higher shipping fees. When you have used them a few times, they provide a credit service.
I’ll look into Jauce. I have been using Blackship. They are a forwarding service affiliated to Japan Rabbit, a proxy service.

The difference is that Blackship gives you a shipping address that you can input on Japanese websites when shopping yourself. That’s useful when buying something by email, like with Heiji or Watanabe. You can then consolidate different packages and have it shipped to other countries in one package. You can also can fill the customs papers yourself.
 


is a film of Okubo Kajiya working making a, yes I do not know the name, a farm tool, a hoe...?



is a very warm and I think sympathetic film about him and his son working together. I especially enjoy seeing the regular folk, the women cooking at home, the local sushi chef, using his knives. Cool and relaxed is the atmosphere I pick up.

and finally -



is a very short film of him and his son working silently together.

I will steal some text from the very fine Michael of www.knifejapan.com who provides a warm description of this smith.

Enjoy.

Tokushima Prefecture lies between the knife-making powerhouses of Sakai city in Osaka Prefecture and Tosa city in Kochi Prefecture. From a smithy point of view things have always been fairly quiet in Tokushima.

But nestled in a small valley just far enough from Tokushima City to be called the country, there's a small, elven-like forge producing traditional edge tools of wonderful quality.

Okubo Kajiya is the sole knife maker in the prefecture and without a great deal of information to uncover beforehand we weren't quite sure what to expect on our first visit. What we found was a rich spirit of craftsmanship, and that welcoming generosity that makes traveling around Japan such a pleasure.

Wow. What an experience. The kind of experience that makes all we do at Knife Japan more fascinating with each passing year. Seated inches from Okubo san's anvil and forge we witnessed a wonderful demonstration of the craft. Great cleaving strikes of the long hammer through to delicate final shaping, all the while the younger Mr Okubo sharing a patient and thoughtful explanation of his father's work throughout the forging process. Wonderful.

Output from this small family concern is modest, and there's usually a wait involved in purchasing one of Okubo san's fine knives. But what will arrive will be a beautifully-executed hand-crafted tool, with lovely cutting feel right out of the box.
F6A675ED-FA48-4CA9-ADA2-6E21D20891E7.jpeg
IMG_0673.jpeg
IMG_1020.jpeg
 
Last edited:
great videos. I have so many questions after watching them lol.

1. why does he hammer the blade? to help straightening it?

2. besides the big vertical wheel in the begging of each video, he uses 2 other, smaller, vertical wheels. I saw he rounds the spine and choil on the smallest one… other than that what’s their purpose? polishing?

could anyone enlighten me?

curiously he uses a Shapton Pro 1500, which I don’t see around too often
 
Last edited:
Back
Top