ULTIMATE TOP 8 JAPANESE KITCHEN KNIVES OF 2023

I went with a kiritsuke gyuto i love it

@knifewear love the second knife. I wish I could check it out. I just like handling the knives before when I'm considering purchasing. Been getting into Japanese makers as of late. My father was a knive maker and he made a set for me. I have one more knife that ill love to get finished. Its one i have seen referred to a couple of times as a lobster splitter.ko

Hello, I am looking into buying a handcrafted japaneese Knife with these criterias:
1. Kitchenknife for vegetables
2. Bladelength 18cm
3.Tamahagane Steel , harvasted by coalfire by the blacksmith
4. Fully handcrafted, no machines and folded at least 16 times
5. Sharpened by hand

the steve jobs of knife sharpening would definitively sell you on a sharpening appliance

I simply have to have a Nakagawa blade...

respect for Glass Beads as the bg music)

Yawn….all my Japanese kitchen knives are Damascus R2 blades $500+

Strictly slicing meat, ???? Please suggestions??

これらの包丁は見た目が美しく､コレクション製がありますね｡
大切に扱えば一生使えるよ｡
ナイフは人類最古の資産｡

Guy on left sounds like HOMELANDER

Just bought my first Japanese knife and went with a Kengata, kind of like a shorter Bunka or a Santoku mixed with a Gyuto, from Sakai Takayuki and GAD DAYUM it's a joy to use. My first carbon steel, but I clean my knives as I go anyway and they're just stainless steel, so had no issues with rust yet.

This is advertising. There are many good handmade knives in Japan.

I got nigara vg10 but santoku 180 its such a sharp precise beauty

Try satake Knifes ...

that Nakagawa is 100%

What rear artistry and craftsmanship in making these knives. That’s what’s so captivating about Japanese knives, they are fine works of art!

Excellent video. I just scored a few knives from M. Hirr... ever hear of this guy? I love Japanese knives.

You guys should review Ogata’s line of knives not that popular but it’s absolutely amazing

looking to get a mid budget (around 400-800$) yanagiba, any recs on what to get? was previously looking at either a takayuki homura guren aogami #2 300mm or a takayuki seiryu damascus 300mm. any other recs would be highly appreciated too! thanks!

didnt expect them to pull out a zanpakuto at the end there lol

I am just wondering why are this great knife makers in Japan whose work are stunning, of great quality, and most of them are award winning are not in your list, only Satoshi Nakagawa and Yu Kurosaki made it in your list. Here are the best knife makers in Japan in my opinion, some of them produce knives that are affordable and some are expensive.
Takeshi Saji
Satoshi Nakagawa
Yoshikazu Ikeda
Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa (吉澤 剛)
Takeshi Saji 佐治 武士
Makoto Tadokoro 田所 真琴 / Tadokoro Hamono 田所刃物
Kenji Togashi
Shigeki Tanaka
Yoshikazu Tanaka 田中 義一
Yoshimi Kato 加藤 義実 / Kato Uchihamono カトウ打刃物
Yu Kurosaki 黒崎 優
Yoshito Yamakawa
Kei Kobayashi 小林 圭 / Kobayashi Hocho 小林包丁
Kisuke Manaka 間中 貴輔
Naohito Myojin
Satoshi Nakagawa (中川 悟志)
Yoshikane Hamono 吉金刃物
Yoshihiro Yauji 弥氏 良寛

Do you ship internationally?

That last one is kinda more of a short sword / wakizashi, than a kitchen knife :D

As someone looking to get my first kind of "legit" all-around chef's style knife (previously only having used $40-50 USD western chef knives), and increasingly being swayed toward a Japanese knife over German/Western style, what do you think about something like the Yoshihiro VG-10 46 layer (NSW Hammered Damascus Series) Gyuto 210mm (~190 USD)? Or, even on the more basic looking lower end something like a Tojiro (classic?) vg-10 3 layer ($100 USD).

Alternatively, might you have any others that you'd recommend I consider in the $100 - 200'ish USD range?

I'm increasingly interested in getting something with a bit more artisan/crafted look and feel to it, but wouldn't make (practical) sense for me to go too far down the rabbit hole. Thanks so much.

I got a Masakage Koishi AS Gyuto 240mm a while back from you guys, its like a piece of art and i love it, never see Masakage Koishis getting a ton of love perhaps you guys can shoot a little love Koishi's way in a vid :) love the vids keep it up! Great knives this video cant wait to get another!

The Glestain knife is in my collection. It is my go-to knife for slicing potatoes. It really works.

Can you make a ranking for mid range knives? I can't pay 400-600 dollars for a knife bro, or you know, almost 2000 dollars for your no.1 pick... It just seems like you're paying for the brand, like Gucci or any other prestige brand that costs way too much. I wan't to know about the cheaper knives that can cut well

Question: how do you go about sharpening convex edges? I believe if you use a whetstone you'll pretty quickly re-profile that edge into a "V"? I've got a convex Japanese Gyuto and have been pretty hesitant to sharpen it because of this. I've just been stropping it with some diamond compound. Let me know your thoughts!

LOVE the Gary Numan album AND Miami Vice soundtrack!

@KnifewearKnives what Japanese Knives would you say are the “Rolls Royce” of knives bearing no cost in mind?

I bought my wife a Shun knife but I imagine those are just “regular” Japanese knives but still a step up from your department store knife.

Back to car analogies they’re maybe a BMW, but there’s still better knives out there.

With soo many Japanese knife brands I have no clue which ones are contested to be at the very top line the pinnacle best of the best.

What would you say are your top 3 and perhaps you don’t even sell them which is fine as well?

This was excellent. Thank you.

Can anyone explain the use of a bunka or kiritsuke? Are they just bad-ass looking santokus and gyutos, or does the clipped tip serve an actual purpose? Would really appreciate the info.

I have got a bunka zdp189. Wow. That’s all

Fun and helpful to see what Naoto and Nathan like. It is great to get me insight into the various makers. Looking forward to more great content in 2024. Thank you!

What is the right height of the table your chopping board stays on to chop effortlesely without stressing your shoulders.?ANYBOBY?

I own a Tsunehisa Aogami Super Stainless Clad Hammered Kurouchi Kiritsuke Gyuto 210mm Rose wood Handle that knife stays sharp for so long and it is such a beauty. When you buy this knife you get a beast of a knife.

Just purchased a Zuiun Gyuto 210mm in Japan and then I discovered your channel, please tell me it's a good knife 😅

Gleatain K-series: don’t suppose they do it for lefties?

I have a Nakagawa x Myojin 240 gyuto, that thing is such a beast. Whoever picks up that slicer is getting a hell of a knife

That sujihiki is a literal sword. 😮 I don't know how you would use that to cut food with one hand.

Nothing for me, either shirogami or VG10 (not a fan of that at all) or unaffordably expensive. No, for me personally there are definitely better knives from this year or that I discovered this year like Shiro Kamo Tora or Hatsukokoro Hayabusa Santoku.

I bought Nigara Hamono VG10 damascus set during the Garage Sale and find myself just opening the kitchen drawer to look at it or show it off.

Would you say the masakage yuki santoku is better than “the best santoku you ever used” the masashi vs1 kaijin santoku?

Here's an idea for a video or short. The ping that a knife blade makes when you hit it lightly with something. Notably a Moritaka AS blade. Does that ping have any bearing on the quality or construction of the knife?