The Art of Japanese Knives
In any kitchen, the chef’s knife is more vital and indispensable than any other item. You could guess a bit about the chef from the state of this one item. Is it sharp and well maintained? Are there scratches from countless sharpenings? Is it kept with an immaculate polish or is the evolution of patina building?
In Japanese culture, knives are considered sacred, and our soul goes into our knives once we start using them. Believed to be inhabited by a spirit, when an old knife breaks or is worn out beyond use it is placed in a hocho-zuka tomb to express appreciation for its years of service and pray for improved skills in the future.
This is what I hope Dovetail to be – a thoughtful reverence of these pieces that connect the chef and the table. Finding the significance and meaning in the stories of tools and the vessels we use to nourish ourselves.
Traditional Japanese swordmakers were esteemed with almost a cult-like status - approaching their work with gravitas. Only individuals of impeccable morality and sincerity could become master swordsmiths. With the gig came fasting and ritual purification. Like priests with anvils - producing the best swords in the world.
These swordmakers knew how to make extremely hard steel that would hold a sharp edge by hammering layers of steel and welding them together. Reheating the metal and folding it in on itself only to be hammered thin over and over, creating thousands of ultra-thin layers.
These same principles are evident in Japanese knives. When compared to their Western counterparts, they are unquestionably lighter and sharper. While European chef’s knives are considered culinary workhorses, used for everything from tough to delicate, Japanese knives are counterintuitively delicate due to the hardness of the steel.
For most of history there was no “chef’s knife” – there were four traditional Japanese knives. Deba for fish butchery, nakiri and usuba for vegetables, and yanagi for slicing raw fish. Medieval Japan was practically pescatarian with a ban on meat dating back to 675 BC. In the 18th Century, Dutch culture sowed into the minds of the Japanese that eating meat is good for health. In 1872 Japanese diets took a strong swerve toward meat when emperor Meiji publicly ate meat for the first time, culturally allowing others to follow in his footsteps. Enter, the “chef’s knife” gyuto – meaning cow sword.
Modern gyuto knives are somewhat of a hybrid between a traditional Japanese nakiri and a Western chef’s knife – evolved to handle fish and meat as well as more delicate vegetables.
I didn't start this journey intending to steer you away from the sturdy, heavy Western knives towards the elegant Japanese-style knives, but I must admit, I've lost my fascination with the former.
And then there's the handle, which plays a critical role in this relationship between chef and knife. Mareko Maumasi, a bladesmith known for his exquisite, custom-forged knives, says the handle is where the real connection happens. Given all this, I'm hesitant to recommend the "right" knife for anyone. Choosing a Japanese chef's knife, as I see it now, is a deeply personal choice, almost like finding a piece of yourself.