My shopping list to Japan included the purchase of one cooking knife. I did not know which one I wanted until I learned that Aritsugu will carve your name on the blade of their cooking knives. I finally bought two knives: a typical Chef’s knife to slice and cut vegetables and another one with a strong blade fitted to cut bones. I needed a new knife to cut in pieces a whole chicken. Naturally, my bone knife works very well on fish.
Aritsugu has been making knives for over 400 years. You will find at least one Aritsugu knife in every restaurant. Except for their knives made of stainless steel and carbon steel, most of their knives have a carbon steel blades, which mean that they require more care than the typical Western knives. You need to make sure to dry them completely after every use to avoid rust. This is why you see chefs in restaurants passing the blade on a cloth after cutting.
The Aritsugu store is located at the Nishiki market in central Kyoto. I will share later photos of my trip to this awesome food market. Watch how the master staff sharpen my cooking knives.
See how they carve your name on the knife you buy. They ask you to write your name on a piece of paper and translate it in Japanese characters
