Maki-e Art: Sophisticated As a Sushi Knife

Takeshi Saji Sushi Knife

The art of Maki-e-making is as sophisticated as a sushi knife. Maki-e art originated from Japan and is now considered as part of the Japanese culture. The inclusion of a Maki-e art in a Japanese Sushi Knife makes the knife more valuable and worth keeping. Some Japanese knives collectors don’t use these knives with Maki-e arts the way they are intended to be used but merely put them on display.

 

History of Sushi Knives

 
The rich history of sushi knife-making dates back to the 14th century when most of the techniques used can go back as far as 1000 years ago. When carrying of Samurai swords became illegal in the 19th century, most craftsmen making Samurai swords turned into crafting sushi knives as their business.


Since then, hundreds of years of accrued understanding and experience in sushi knife-making have been handed down from masters to students.


Razor sharp sushi as well as sahimi knives are hand-made for a particular job and there are particular directions to hold and preserve them. Many knives are made up of high-grade carbon steel. High-grade carbon steel is not stainless so sushi knives made from this type of steel can rust easily. Though the good thing about sushi knives is that they are easy to sharpen.


This kinds of knives have single-beveled edge meaning only one side holds the cutting edge while the other side stays flat. The flat edge is there so that foods don’t stick to the knife.
 

Most sushi knives are made right-handed since many people believe that it is easier to cut fish using the right hand. Generally, left handed knives are made to order and cost a lot more than the right handed knives.


They either made true forged (Honyaki) or mist (Kasumi). Honyaki is made from a high-grade single steel while Kasumi is made from two types of steels which are hard iron and softer high carbon.


Essential Sushi Knives:

• Yanagi-ba - Yanagi-ba is what they call the typical knife for cutting sushi rolls.
• Deba - Ideal for cutting through bones and fish cartilage.
• USuba - Best for fine cuts and peeling.
• Santoku - Known as the “three virtues” which is ideal for fish, meat, and vegetables.

 
If you are looking for this type of kitchen knife decorated with a beautiful art, see Yanagiba Sushi Knife with Makie-e Art.

Japanese Knives: Beautifully Sliced Sashimi With A Yanagi Knife

Yanagi-ba-bocho literally means “willow blade knife”. Some people, for a shorter term, call it Yanagi. Yanagi knife belongs to the sashimi hocho group of Japanese knives. The Yanagi knife originated from Kansai (Osaka) region.
 

In order for a slice of sashimi to be called perfect, when one looks at it at a microscopic view, the inside must be smooth looking and shiny. And that is usually the result when it was sliced using a Japanese Yanagi knife.

 

Here is a list that makes a Japanese Yanagi knife perfect for slicing sashimi:

** Length – This knife has a long blade so it can slice through a block of raw fish in just one pulling direction. When one cuts the fish in an irregular pattern, the cross section is going to be bad not only in appearance, but it will also cause the cell of the fish being cut destroyed. This has a direct effect on the taste of the fish.
 
** Thickness – It has a thin blade that creates less effort in slicing a fish. When there is even the slightest amount of force added in slicing, one is not slicing anymore, but instead, tearing the fish.
Scraped Back Face – some Japanese Yanagi knives have its back faces scraped out so that the sliced fish easily detaches itself from the blade.
 
** Single Ground – one thing that makes a knife excellent for slicing fish is that it has a single ground blade. A single ground blade, aside from it being easy to sharpen, gives more control to the user for slicing delicate objects, like in this case, raw fish.
 

In making a Japanese Yanagi knife, its hardness and toughness is modeled in the same way as a Japanese sword. It is made using a combination of hard and soft steels; the softer steel wraps around the inner harder steel. So, what can users expect from a Japanese Yanagi knife? Sharpness and durability for a long period of time.

For beautifully sliced sashimi, use this knife!

visit www.japanny.com

Takayuki Iwai knife Best for Cutting Sashimi

All About Sashimi

image via www.sashimi.se

Sashimi, which means “sliced food” is probably one, if not, the most famed dish among Japanese cuisine. Delicately and thinly sliced, Sashimi is the best way to serve uncooked fish. Most Japanese people, in a formal meal agree that before eating other foods, sashimi should be eaten first. This is observed especially in a formal meal. But it can be considered as main course when miso soup and rice in separate bowls are presented with it. 

This would probably be a surprise but if you think fish is the only food that can be eaten uncooked as sashimi, think again. There are also other kinds of red meats that can be served as sashimi like beef, deer, and horse. There are some people who think that sashimi and sushi are the same but they are not. Sushi has sweet rice-wine vinegar rice while sashimi does not. 

How to Eat Your Sashimi

 In eating your sashimi, soy sauce can add flavor to it. Usually, restaurants have a small dish that you can use to pour some soy sauce and dip a piece of sashimi before eating. Contrary to how many people eat their sashimi by mixing wasabi (ground ginger) with soy sauce, the proper way is to dab the wasabi on top a piece of sashimi. To get that minty taste, you can eat the daikon or shiso vegetables that are normally used as garnishing to your sashimi. 

Health Benefits of Sashimi

Our body needs protein for muscle development and fish is a healthy source of it. The kind of protein we can get from sashimi is low in fat which is ideal for weight watchers. 

Sashimi is rich in essential fatty acid, omega-3. This kind of fatty acid helps maintain good cardiovascular health by lowering down cholesterol levels. Sashimi also has vitamins B6 and B12, phosphorous, magnesium, and niacin.

In Japan, they have this saying, “Kasshu hoju” (cooking is second to cutting). Sashimi is prepared with knives.

At Japanny online store, we have a wide array of authentic Japanese knives for you to choose from. For sashimi preparation, we boast of our Takayuki Iwai Aogami Steel No. 2 Fumon Series Sashimi Knife. The Fumon Series is made by Takayuki Iwai. They do all the work by hands to ensure perfect control in making their knives. They care about quality that they do not mass produce. For Takayuki Iwai knife, it is quality over numbers! Japanny is the sole distributor of these impressive knives outside Japan.