Choose, buy and use a Japanese knife.

Independent guides from an editorial team in Tokyo, in four languages. We map 97 knife shops in 13 areas of Japan.

See the Knife Shop Map Browse Knife Types

A kitchen knife in white paper tied with cotton twine, only the pale octagonal handle and black ferrule showing, on light grey — Illustration

Start here

01 Buy online Best knife by type and budget, and how to order one from Japan 02 Buy in Japan Kappabashi and 12 more areas: shops, hours and maps 03 Learn & care Knife types, steels, sharpening and taking knives home

Japanese Knife Finishes: Kurouchi, Kasumi, Nashiji, Tsuchime, Migaki and Damascus Explained

Japanese knife finishes explained: kurouchi, kasumi, nashiji, tsuchime, migaki and Damascus. How each is made, how it ages, and what it means for rust.

Nov 7, 2026Guide

Takefu Knife Village Guide: Hours, Classes, Access (2026)

Takefu Knife Village, Echizen (Fukui): free workshop viewing, 9:00–17:00, 2026 closed days, knife-making class prices and taxi times from the Shinkansen.

Nov 3, 2026Guide

VG-10 Steel (VG10): Composition, HRC, Rust and VG-10 vs SG2, VG-MAX, Ginsan

VG-10 (VG10) is Takefu's stainless knife steel: 15% chromium, HRC 60+ at the mill. Hardness as sold, rust, sharpening, and VG-10 vs SG2, VG-MAX and Ginsan.

Oct 27, 2026Best Picks

Where to Buy Japanese Knives in Miki, Hyogo: Japan's Hardware Town (2026)

Where to buy knives in Miki, Hyogo — the hardware hall at Roadside Station Miki, Misuzu Hamono, the free hardware museum and its forging demonstrations, the Miki Hardware Festival on 7–8 November 2026, published prices, closing days and the new tax-free refund rules.

Oct 23, 2026Best Picks

Where to Buy Japanese Knives in Tosa: Kochi's Free-Forged Blades (2026)

Where to buy Tosa knives in Kami City, Kochi: the Tosa Cutlery Distribution Center and the makers and shops around it, what free forging means, farm and forestry tools, listed prices, closing days, getting to Tosa-Yamada, and tax-free under the November 2026 rules.

Oct 20, 2026Best Picks

Where to Buy Japanese Knives in Echizen (Takefu, Fukui) — 2026 Guide

Where to buy Echizen knives in Echizen City, Fukui: Takefu Knife Village and the Echizen Uchihamono Hall, the workshops that sell their own blades, catalogue prices, sharpening and engraving, the Shinkansen station, and tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026.

View all guides

Explore by Type