Authentic Japanese Knife Blog
Tosa Knife Australia by Asaoya Yaichi brings authentic handcrafted Japanese knives from Kochi, Japan to Australia.
Here you’ll find guides on Japanese knives, sharpening, knife care, steel comparisons, and the stories behind handcrafted Tosa knives.
Explore our latest articles below.
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☀︎Latest Articles
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Japanese Knives Australia — Why Buying Directly from a Japanese Importer Matters
Discover why buying Japanese knives directly from a Jap…
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Why Are Japanese Knives So Popular? 5 Surprising Reasons I Discovered After 25 Years as a Chef
Why are Japanese knives so popular worldwide? After 25 …
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Japanese Knives in Australia: 5 Amazing Reasons to Buy
Are Japanese knives worth buying in Australia? Discover…
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Japanese Knife Christmas Gift: 5 Beautiful Choices from a Professional Chef
Discover 5 beautiful Japanese knife Christmas gift idea…
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Japanese Knife Christmas Gift: 5 Beautiful Reasons to Give One
Discover 5 beautiful reasons why a Japanese knife makes…
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Choosing Your First Japanese Knife: 5 Essential Lessons from a Chef
Choosing your first Japanese knife can be confusing. Af…
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Carbon Steel Japanese Knives: 5 Powerful Lessons from My Real Experience
Are carbon steel Japanese knives really difficult to ma…
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Japanese Knife Thinning: 5 Powerful Lessons I Learned After Years of Sharpening
Why can a Japanese knife still feel thick even after sh…
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Japanese Knife Shapes: 5 Powerful Lessons From 25 Years in Professional Kitchens
Why do Japanese knives come in so many different shapes…
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Petty Knife: 5 Surprising Things I Learned About This Small Japanese Knife
After more than 25 years as a professional chef, I real…
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Japanese Knife Care Australia: 7 Powerful Lessons from 25 Years in Professional Kitchens
Japanese Knife Care Australia doesn’t need to be compli…
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Choosing a Japanese Knife: 5 Powerful Lessons About the Maker Behind the Blade
Choosing a Japanese Knife is about more than steel, pri…
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Nakiri vs Santoku: 3 Essential Lessons from My Kitchen
Discover what 25 years in professional kitchens taught …
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Does a Sharp Knife Really Change Sashimi? What I Notice at the Sushi Counter
“Does a sharp knife really change sashimi? After 25 yea…
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Japanese Knife Terms: 5 Fascinating Words I Didn’t Know After 25 Years as a Chef
Even after 25 years as a professional chef, there are J…
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Japanese Knife Steel: 5 Powerful Lessons I Learned After 25 Years as a Chef
After 25 years as a chef, I only began understanding Ja…
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Authentic Japanese Knives — Why True Craftsmanship Deserves Fair Value
Authentic Japanese knives are more than kitchen tools. …
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Japanese Knives Australia Ranking: 5 Exceptional Knives I Would Choose After 25 Years as a Chef
Discover my Japanese Knives Australia Ranking, featurin…
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Japanese Knives Australia: 5 Powerful Choices I Would Make After 25 Years as a Professional Chef
Looking for Japanese knives in Australia? After more th…
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椿油 | Camellia Oil for Japanese Knives: 5 Essential Lessons From My Own Experience
Camellia oil for Japanese knives can help protect carbo…
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Japanese Knife Rust Removal: 5 Powerful Reasons I Keep a Sabitoru Fine in My Knife Kit
Learn why Sabitoru Fine is a practical tool for Japanes…
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VG10 vs Ginsan — 5 Powerful Differences I’ve Noticed Selling Japanese Knives in Australia
VG10 vs Ginsan: two respected Japanese stainless knife …
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切付 | Japanese Knife for Chefs: 1 Powerful Choice After 25 Years in Professional Kitchens
If I could own only one Japanese knife after more than …
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鍛造 | Forged — What Does “Hand-Forged” Really Mean on a Japanese Knife?
What does “hand-forged” really mean on a Japanese knife…
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Japanese Knife Memorial: 5 Powerful Traditions Behind Saying Goodbye to a Knife
Discover the Japanese knife memorial tradition and why …
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Best Japanese Knife to Buy in Japan: 7 Reasons Santoku Wins
Looking for the best Japanese knife to buy in Japan? Di…
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一期一会 | Handmade Japanese Knives: When the Right Knife Finds You
Handmade Japanese knives are not always available when …
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Is an Expensive Japanese Knife Really Worth the Money?
Is an expensive Japanese knife really worth the money? …
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Tosa Knives and Kurouchi — Why the Black Finish Became So Common
Why is the rustic black Kurouchi finish so closely asso…
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産地 | Tosa Knives vs Other Japanese Knives — Does the Region Really Matter?
Does the region really matter when choosing a Japanese …
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流通 | Tosa Knife History: 5 Surprising Ways Tosa Blades Spread Across Japan
How did Tosa blades travel beyond Kochi? I became curio…
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土佐 Tosa | The Powerful History of Tosa Knives I Wanted to Know
I sell Tosa knives in Australia, but I became curious a…
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刃返り Kaeri | 5 Essential Truths About the Japanese Knife Burr
I once thought part of my knife blade had fallen off wh…
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薄刃 Usuba | 7 Powerful Things I Learned About Japanese Knife Thickness
After more than 25 years as a chef, I always preferred …
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SG2 Steel | Why Is This Japanese Knife Steel Made From Powder?
What exactly is SG2 steel, and why is it made using pow…
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探究 Tankyū | What Does VG10 Actually Mean?
I had used VG10 Japanese knife steel for years, but I h…
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銀三 | Ginsan Japanese Knife : 7 Surprising Things I Learned About Silver #3 Steel
I knew Ginsan was stainless steel, but not much more. A…
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仕上げ | Japanese Knife Finishes: What I Learned After 25 Years as a Chef
After 25 years as a chef, I realised I had never really…
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Aogami and Shirogami | 7 Fascinating Things I Learned About Blue and White Paper Steel
After more than 25 years as a chef, I only started lear…
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Japanese Knife Names | 7 Fascinating Origins I Was Curious Enough to Look Up
Have you ever wondered where Japanese knife names come …
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真価 Shinka | 7 Powerful Truths About a New Japanese Knife’s Real Potential
A new Japanese knife may be sharp out of the box, but t…
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Kurouchi Japanese Knives 黒打ち | I Once Removed It All — And Learned From It
I once removed the entire Kurouchi finish from a Japane…
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一目惚れ Hitomebore | 7 Powerful Reasons to Fall in Love With a Japanese Knife
After 25+ years as a chef, I still believe choosing a J…
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愛着 Aichaku | 7 Powerful Ways a Japanese Knife Becomes Truly Yours
Discover 7 powerful ways a Japanese knife becomes truly…
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切味 Kireaji | 7 Surprising Truths About What Makes a Japanese Knife Feel Sharp
After more than 25 years as a professional chef, I’ve l…
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均衡 Kinkō | 7 Powerful Reasons Japanese Knife Balance Matters More Than You Think
Japanese knife balance can completely change how a knif…
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Ancient Patina 古色 | 7 Powerful Truths About Japanese Knife Patina That Even Surprised Me
What is Japanese Knife Patina, and why do so many chefs…
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Hardness 硬度 | 7 Powerful Truths About Japanese Knife HRC That Surprised Even a Chef
What does HRC really mean, and does a higher number alw…
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刃 Japanese Knife Bevels | Single Bevel vs Double Bevel Explained
Understanding the difference between Single Bevel vs Do…
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Japanese Knife Handles | 7 Powerful Reasons the Right Handle Matters
The handle is more than just part of a knife’s appearan…
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Handmade Japanese Knives | 7 Fascinating Reasons No Two Are Ever Exactly the Same
Discover why no two handmade Japanese knives are ever e…
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Professional Choice | Why I Still Use Carbon Steel for Sashimi After 25 Years
After more than 25 years as a professional chef, I stil…
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祭 Matsuri | 100kg of Bluefin Tuna and the Hidden Reality Behind the James St Festival
Go behind the scenes of the James St Festival as a prof…
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祭 Matsuri | 12 Hours Behind the James St Festival Before the Crowd Arrived
Go behind the scenes of the James St Festival with a pr…
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The True Value of Japanese Knives | 7 Reasons They Are Worth the Investment
Discover the true value of Japanese knives and learn wh…
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壮大 Sōdai | The Knife That Stops People Before They Even Pick It Up
Not every chef needs a 240mm Thick Deba. After more tha…
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漆黒 Shikkoku | Where Deep Black Forging Creates a Masterpiece
Experience the timeless appeal of a handcrafted 165mm A…
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究極 Ultimate | The Pinnacle of Stainless Steel – 180mm SG2 Santoku with Rosewood Octagonal Handle
Discover why the 180mm SG2 Santoku is considered one of…
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Beni 紅 | 2 Black and Red Japanese Knives That Create a Striking Set
Discover the beauty of the Beni Collection, featuring t…
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Forged Legacy | The 165mm Kiritsuke Thick Deba That Carries 400 Years of Tosa Craftsmanship
Discover why the 165mm Kiritsuke Thick Deba Aogami #2 K…
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Samurai Century | The Finest Expression of Tosa Knife Craftsmanship, Passed Down Since the Age of the Chōsokabe Clan
Discover the timeless craftsmanship of Tosa knives thro…
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Monozukuri | Where Japanese Craftsmanship Meets Quiet Beauty
Discover the spirit of Monozukuri, the Japanese philoso…
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Ginsan Stainless | Why Ginsan Nashiji Japanese Knives Are One of the Best Values in Australia
Discover why Ginsan Nashiji Japanese knives offer one o…
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Wabi-Sabi | Experience the Quiet Beauty of This Handcrafted Santoku Knife
Experience the quiet beauty of Wabi-Sabi through this h…
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Sujihiki Knives | Discover the Appeal of Asaoya Yaichi’s Carefully Selected Sujihiki Knives
Discover why Asaoya Yaichi carefully selected these two…
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Why Do Japanese Knives Rust So Easily? (And Why That’s Not a Bad Thing)
Many people avoid carbon steel knives because they worr…
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I Thought Black-Finished Knives Looked Cheap… Until I Used One
Many people assume black-finished (Kurouchi) knives loo…
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Why Flattening Your Whetstone Matters More Than You Think
Many people focus on sharpening their knives but overlo…
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Why Flattening Your Whetstone Matters
Many people blame their knife or sharpening technique w…
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Japanese Knife Handles: Why the Handle Matters More Than You Think
Discover why the handle is just as important as the bla…
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The Biggest Myth About Japanese Knives: What 25 Years as a Chef Taught Me
Many people believe Japanese knives are too delicate, t…
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5 Common Mistakes That Damage Japanese Knives
Discover five common mistakes that can damage Japanese …
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Hand-Forged vs Machine-Made Knives: It’s About More Than Sharpness
Are hand-forged Japanese knives really sharper than mac…
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How Often Should You Really Sharpen a Japanese Knife?
How often should you sharpen a Japanese knife? After mo…
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A Knife That Earned My Respect
A personal story about a 40-year-old Japanese knife, th…
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A Knife That Earned My Respect
After more than 25 years as a chef in Japan and Austral…
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Wabi-Sabi Vibes: A Rare Japanese Santoku Knife Where Tradition Meets Modern Design
Discover how the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi is re…
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Carbon Steel vs Stainless Steel: Which Japanese Knife Is Right for You?
Not sure whether to choose a carbon steel or stainless …
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Santoku vs Gyuto: Which Japanese Knife Should You Choose? | Asaoya Yaichi
Not sure whether to choose a Santoku or a Gyuto? Learn …
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How to Care for Your Japanese Knife | Keep It Sharp for Years
Discover the best way to care for your Japanese knife. …
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How to Choose the Right Japanese Knife | Beginner’s Guide
Looking for your first Japanese knife? Learn the differ…
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Why I Started Asaoya Yaichi | Authentic Tosa Knives in Australia
Discover why Asaoya Yaichi was created to bring authent…