A Masterpiece: Sprinkled Picture of Art in a Japanese Gyuto Knife

“Sprinkled picture of art in a Japanese Gyuto knife - a masterpiece!” This is probably a layman would describe a knife with a Maki-e art. Maki-e, in Japan, literally means “sprinkled picture”. Applied by using a makizutsu or akebo brush, This is a kind of Japanese lacquer drizzled in gold and silver powder used as an adornment.

The History of Maki-e Making

This Japanese art started from Nara period (710 - 794 CE) while in the Heian period (974 - 1185), it was tailored in Buddhist altar fittings. In Muromachi period (1333 - 1573 CE), Maki-e arts were used to serve court peerage for stationery-making like inkstone cases. But it was not until the Edo period (1603 - 1868) that it bloomed. It was polished over time and became the elegant art that speaks of Japan. Then its reputation was accepted by royal families and armed chiefs to signify their authority.

Artists who want to learn this art usually go through several years of guidance to acquire skills and to eventually, become an experts. A variety of metal powders can be used to come up with different colors and surfaces like with copper, brass, lead, aluminum, platinum, pewter, together their alloys.

The very first lacquer master linked to this kind of arts was Koami Docho (1410 - 1478). He used markings from different Japanese painters in his arts. There are two major schools of lacquer making in the history of Japan and Koami together with another master, Igarashi Shinsai, were its prime movers.

One of the major methods being used in making this was Takamekie (or raised Maki-e). Conceptualized in the Muromachi period, the method of Takamekie includes raising up drawing patterns directly above the surface using a combination of lacquer, metal powder, and charcoal.

When putting a black lacquer without oil on the metal design as an additional coating, that method is called Maki-e Togidashi.

Their art truly represents the Japanese people love for beauty. It is an art that speaks deeply of their culture and somehow gives the world an understanding of the Japanese people in this age of time.

See more Japanese Gyuto Knife beautified with a Maki-e art,
click >> goo.gl/g6h7X1

Many Professional Chefs are Using Kiritsuke Knives

Kiritsuke knives are one of the few Japanese knives that are considered as multi-purpose knives. The kiritsuke is a marriage between the Usuba and yanagiba. It can be used for slicing fish (yanagi) and cutting vegetables (usuba). When used in cutting vegetables, it can make a beautiful julienne, dice, or brunoise. It can also shave chives and scallions.


These knives have the shape of a sword and the edge is made straighter and a longer.
Traditionally, only the professional chefs can use these knives for two reasons: as a status symbol (masterchef) and the difficulty of its use. In order to use a kiritsuke knife, one must be skilled enough in using traditional Japanese knives.


Over the years, kiritsuke knives are becoming more popular. Many people like the sword like tip design of its blade.

Takeshi Saji Kinife VG10 Yanagiba 270mm with Makie art - Rooster

A traditional set of this knife for a Japanese chef includes three to four knives:

• a 210mm or 225mm usuba (vegetable knife)
• a 210mm or 225mm deba (to fillet fish)
• a 150mm or 165mm deba known as ajikiri for cutting smaller fish
• a 300mm or 330mm yanagiba (sashimi)

There are also “specialty” versions of Kiritsuke for particular uses:

• Hankotsu for meat butchering
• Garasuke for poultry butchering
• Hamogiri for shearing the bones in a pike conger eel (hamo).

If you are looking for a kiritsuke knife, we at Japanny.com proudly offer Kiritsuke knives that are priced competitively. We deliver anywhere in the world for a flat fee of $9 only and we can waive it for orders $300 above.

General Safety in Knife Handling

 

Sakai Takayuki Knife

 General Safety in Knife Handling:

Your knives are very useful tools. You can consider them your best friends. Why? For some obvious reason, you cannot prepare and cook food without them. The way you take care and handle them is important to your safety as well as how long they are going to last you.

The price of knives varies depending on the manufacturer, place where the knife is made, type, and size. Japanese knives usually demand higher prices because of their unparalleled sharpness and edge retention. When you own a Japanese knife from a reputable knife maker, like Sakai Takayuki, Takeshi Saji, and Takayuki Iwai, there is a sense of pride within you.

So, if you own a Japanese knife (or any other knife), you need to take good care of it. Here are some points to remember:

In cutting meat or chopping vegetables, it is advisable to use boards that are made of wood or plastic. Avoid using boards that are from materials like ceramic, glass, steel, or marble. These may cause the edge of your knife to chip.

In washing dishes, do not drop your knife in the sink together with other dishes. You might forget there is actually a knife in there and you might cut yourself.

Don’t throw your knife in the dishwasher. The heat will not only cause damage to the wooden handle, but the edge will surely knock against other plates or whatever you have in the dishwasher.

Do not put your knife loose in a drawer together with other cutlery. When you are in a hurry and trying to reach for your knife, instead of touching the handle, you might accidentally touch the edge. Let your knife rest in a wooden edge guard or a slotted hanger instead.

After using your knife, keep it clean and dry.

Lastly, a can opener is for opening a can. Let that truth stay that way. Do not make the mistake many people do – using a knife to open a can. If you follow this golden rule, you will prevent accidents by foolishness!

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.

Advice for buying Japanese Knives

When it comes to art of metalworking, Japan has an old and grand tradition on it. Like Solingen in Germany, centers for knife making are found all over the country. Knife makers differ in the technology they use and the quality of their knives. 

Knives that are functional and hand-made can be considered a form of art. The basic steps in producing a knife are prepared by the knife maker himself or they call smith. The quality of his knife is assured by his reputation and name. Usually, knives with the highest quality and costly ones come from smiths who have extensive years of training and sensible practice behind them. Materials used and the name of the smiths dictate the price of the knife.

He is a traditional forge-smith and craftsman. He was born in 1948 at Takefu City of Fukui prefecture. It is a place with 700 years history of Echizen Uchi-Hamono or better known as Hammer Forged Knives. 

Takeshi Saji got his training in basic forging process and technique for 3 years at a local blacksmith teaching school. At age 18, he got engaged in knife making under the direction of his father and master, Harukichi Saji, who was a second generation. At age 30, after perfecting the skills needed to craft beautiful knives, Takeshi Saji was finally allowed to make his own. He got the certification “Traditional Craftsmen” from M.I.T.I in 1992. 

Takeshi Saji has a vast wealth of experience in knife making and after 45 years of being in the industry, with his bright ideas and designs, his traditional forged custom knives are now popular in Japan thus giving him the title one of the most well-known forge-craftsmen from Takefu City.

Takeshi Saji’s selections are gradually growing and each custom knife has distinctive style and personality. 

Takeshi Saji

Advice for buying Japanese Knives 

When you look for a Japanese knife, you will notice a huge range of prices which can be hard to understand. But as a rule of thumb, Japanese knives are not more expensive than European knives considering the same quality.  A handmade knife usually costs quite a bit taking into consideration the many hours spent in doing it by a highly-skilled hand. At japanny.com, we believe our knives are fairly priced. 

Decorative touches, like Damascus steel blades on some Japanese knives do not affect the knife’s cutting ability but demand higher price. These knives are attractive and guarantee satisfaction. At the core of all Japanese knife blades is high-carbon steel which makes the knife a cut above the rest.

What is important is you do not pay for a sub-standard knife with a high price or fall for an ad campaign of a company and buy their knife that does not cut well.

Identify the type of knife you need. For every kind, japanny.com has an array of the finest knives that are fairly priced. If you are unsure what you need, get an all-purpose knife that has three-layer blade. With this kind, you will find out and learn the qualities of Japanese knives. Later on, you might want to try other types like deba-bocho (to fillet fish), nakiro-bocho (to cut vegetables), tako-biki hocho (to slice fish) or the perfect knife for the kind of food you want to prepare.