Sparking Innovation in Japanese Kitchen Knife Culture (Part 1)
A conversation between Representative Director Koichiro Hayashi of Steelstyle, Inc. — a company offering the HEART KNIFE order-made kitchen knife service for gifting to special people in one’s life — and Kosuke Kato, President of the WealthPark Lab. Part I features a discussion of internationally-renowned Japanese kitchen knives, and covers topics like their multifaceted appeal, little known facts about their culture and history, their manufacturing process, and how they are chosen.
Koichiro Hayashi, Representative Director, Steelstyle, Inc.： Hailing from Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture, Mr. Hayashi was born as the only son of a hardware dealer, and grew up surrounded by all sorts of blades and carpenter tools. After graduating from university, he joined the Awa Bank, Ltd., where he worked in financing and public relations. Next, he joined Anagrams Co., Ltd., a firm specializing in programmatic advertising. He was involved in numerous projects for clients ranging from startups to small, medium-sized, and large enterprises. In 2017, he founded Steelstyle, Inc. By leveraging his own experience with hardware, he tackles new challenges every day. His quest is to bring the world new types of hardware — produced with world-class techniques to suit people’s lifestyles — and create new experiences that make life more worthwhile.
Kay (Kosuke) Kato, President and Investment Evangelist of WealthPark Lab conducts research and disseminates information to “open new investment doors for all.” He has been in his current position since 2021.
The appeal of kitchen knives: They make an impression on people and strengthen human ties
Kato: Today, I’ll be talking with Koichiro Hayashi. His company offers HEART KNIFE, a brand of high-end kitchen knives designed to be given as gifts. In recent years, I’ve heard that international visitors want to buy made-in-Japan kitchen knives at places like Kappabashi in Asakusa, Tokyo. I’m looking forward to hearing all about the kitchen knives that have caught the attention of world, including their history and culture.
To begin, I’ll give you my first impression after looking at your company’s home page. I got the sense you’re trying to innovate in terms of the meaning of consumer goods in the traditional kitchen knife industry. With this type of innovation, the value of the product changes completely due to suggestions on how the product should be used.
Hayashi: Thank you. I grew up as the son of a hardware dealer. Kitchen knives are a familiar part of our daily lives, but there’s actually something quite profound about them. In simple terms, the function of a kitchen knife is to cut food. However, as you said, there are other aspects of Japanese kitchen knives that have captivated people outside Japan. The fact is: kitchen knives are more than just tools for cutting food. They are tools for communicating one’s ideas, through cooking, and they even have artistic aspects.
For example, Michelin star chefs can prepare dishes at an acceptable level of quality using 100-yen kitchen knives, but still they’re very particular. That’s because they understand the importance of investing in tools. They value their own ideas about customers, food ingredients, and producers of meats, vegetables, and other ingredients. As a result, many chefs have quite a few kitchen knives, and some use expensive, order-made knives.
Kitchen knives can be regarded as works of art. Some require over 100 process steps by expert artisans. Like Japanese swords, they have aspects as artistic and traditional craft objects. There are many artistic knives with complex designs engraved in the metal, or handles worked with Japanese lacquer. People from outside Japan have discovered such artistic value in the kitchen knives of Japan.
The business of HEART KNIFE is proposing the value of Japanese kitchen knives as a new idea to society. We have reconceived the appeal of kitchen knives — designing them as gifts to make an impression on people and strengthen human ties. We also combine the digital and analog to provide innovative gifts with added value. That may be why you felt we are innovating in terms of meaning.
Kato: Changing the meaning of a kitchen knife in society — so it’s more than just a tool for cutting food, and is instead a tool for artists or a tool for connecting people — seems like an approach our company can learn from as we strive for an “updated mindset toward investment.” Society will also be enriched by your creating a system where people can invest in kitchen knife gifts which support cooking in everyone’s daily life.
By the way, how many types of kitchen knives are there? In my house, perhaps we have only three types: large, small, and another knife for cutting bread.
Hayashi: People say there are more than 100 types of kitchen knives in Japan. For example, there are knives for cutting meat, for cutting vegetables and fish, for dressing eel, for preparing octopus, and so on. Knives for opening shells are classified into many categories based on the shape and type of shell. There are cases where the knife form differs between eastern and western Japan, even when the knife has the same purpose. Many of these types are peculiar to Japan, perhaps due to the sensitive national character and personality of the Japanese people.
Kato: It’s surprising there are so many types. Were those knives invented by chefs to create more delicious dishes for their customers?
Hayashi: The sophistication of Japanese chefs may have contributed to the variations of the kitchen knife. They say “there are as many types of kitchen knives as there are food ingredients.” Cooking is an expression of the artistic sensitivity of the chef, and it’s like a painter being particular about tools like brushes and canvas. In terms of quality and variety of knives supported by such a sophisticated environment, Japan is the world’s leading kitchen knife producing country.
The culture and asset value of kitchen knives in Japan
Kato: Japanese kitchen knives are quite a deep topic! I want to know more. Aside from the large number of types, does Japan have a unique kitchen knife culture in other ways relative to other countries?
Hayashi: The main difference I see is that, in Japan, we find value in using a knife for a long time.
In Japan, if a knife is above a certain level in quality, it’s a matter of course to periodically sharpen the blade and use it for a long time. Japanese knives with a reputation for cutting well are frequently used outside of Japan, but I sometimes hear stories about people throwing away cheap knives when they lose their edge. This isn’t limited to kitchen knives; sharpening culture is lacking for scissors and other cutting tools in the same way. Apparently, people think sharpening is a bother, and knives are cheap enough to just buy a new one. I’ve also heard it’s hard to obtain high-quality, long-lasting sharpening stones, like those we have in Japan.
Perhaps Japanese people get attached to things, and think of them like “partners.” For example, we enjoy the changes over time in leather shoes and cordovan letter wallets. Similarly, when a kitchen knife is used for many years, the handle comes to fit your hand. Men tend to be more particular about leather products, and often feel the same way about kitchen knives.
Kato: There’s definitely a well-established culture in Japan of valuing things from a medium to long-term perspective. By the way, you said that kitchen knives have aspects as artistic and traditional craft objects. Does their value appreciate? Might they have asset value, like luxury watches?
Hayashi: At present, people don’t think of kitchen knives as assets. Knives that are unused, with fine steel and other materials, are sometimes traded at high prices on Mercari and other online marketplaces, but there’s no established second-hand market like that for luxury watches. There are knives that are clearly similar to works of art, with special ornamentation, but these are usually kept as personal possessions, and it’s unusual to see them resold to others in the market.
On the other hand, I think we can boost recognition of and demand for kitchen knives as an asset. If an item like an ebony kitchen knife is properly maintained, it can be used for decades, or even a person’s entire life. If we can create a market — by creating products for people outside Japan using steel and other materials that last a lifetime — then kitchen knives may become an investment.
The history and producing regions of kitchen knives
Kato: I understand a lot better now. Next, could you tell me something about the history and producing regions of Japanese kitchen knives?
Hayashi: Humanity’s first blades date back to the Paleolithic era. There are traces of humans cutting foods and hides using the sharp fragments produced when a stone like obsidian is broken. That was the original form of the kitchen knife.
In Japan, they say that blade technology developed in earnest in the Muromachi period. Around that time, 5–7 blade producing regions came into being, and production of kitchen knives continues today in those regions. For example, Sakai City in Osaka Prefecture is known for producing high-quality kitchen knives, albeit in small quantities, and the city’s market share of kitchen knives for professionals exceeds 90%. Seki City in Gifu Prefecture and Sanjo City in Niigata Prefecture are outstanding in terms of mass production, boasting high production volumes of industrial products. In recent years, Takefu City in Fukui Prefecture is well known, and Miki City in Hyogo Prefecture and Tosa City in Kochi Prefecture are producing regions that trace their origin back to field blacksmiths (nokaji). Field blacksmiths were people who made blades for cutting agricultural products, and although their products were hand-made and crude, they were sturdy and practical. Some regions with a tradition of field blacksmiths are still forging blades by hand today.
Kato: So Japan has many producing regions for kitchen knives, and they arose in the Muromachi period… I’m embarrassed to say I was not aware of that at all! I learned something new today.
Hayashi: I didn’t know anything about it either until I went into this industry (laughs). Now I’m pretty good at judging, from the features of a blade, where in Japan it was produced. For example, kitchen knives from Takefu City in Fukui Prefecture are forged by overlapping two sheets of materials so the blade is thin, while in Sakai City kitchen knives are forged by hand, so the body of the blade is thick. The production processes and forms vary greatly depending on the producing region. Of course, there are also companies that use methods different from those characteristic of their producing regions, so we can’t make any sweeping statements. For example, even in Sakai, there are companies producing Western-style kitchen knives.
The production process of Japanese kitchen knives, renowned throughout the world
Kato: Are the kitchen knives distributed in Japan today made in Japan? Or are they made in countries like China? Also, what is the process used to make kitchen knives?
Hayashi: Kitchen knives purchased for day-to-day use are generally manufactured in Japan. With some mass-produced products, early processes are performed at factories in China and final finishing done in Japan, but most Japanese kitchen knives are still 100% made in Japan.
It’s surprising to many people, but the process of making a kitchen knife is extremely complicated. Even today, it can take 100 or more process steps to finish a single knife. Roughly speaking, the processes are: forging where the basic shape is created from a material such as steel; quenching for creating the blade of the kitchen knife; and sharpening by a knife sharpener who painstakingly produces the final form.
The purpose of forging is not just to shape the blade. Impurities in the blade are driven out by heating and striking the steel, and this further improves the quality of the steel. Steel is transformed into a quality blade through the process of striking it over and over. Next, in quenching, the blade’s steel is heated to high temperature, then instantly cooled. This activates the metal component, finely bonds the materials, and improves hardness. Without this step, steel blades cannot cut and will quickly break.
The final sharpening process is divided into a number of steps according to the purpose: rough sharpening, medium sharpening, finishing, and so forth. Through these processes, an edge is formed and the blade is finished. In the case of materials like Damascus steel, the blade is completed after steps like blasting with sand or glass.
Kato: A blade goes through a lot of steps, doesn’t it… Now, kitchen knives from outside Japan have a slightly different form. Are production methods for Japanese knives special from a global standpoint?
Hayashi: There are considerable differences in production methods between countries, and these lead to major differences in blade quality. Japanese kitchen knives are world-renowned, with a good cutting edge. The number one factor underlying that quality is the number of manufacturing processes and their painstaking nature. When you look at actual production shops, you realize it’s not easy to imitate the painstaking processes of the diligent and delicate Japanese artisan.
Kato: I can see that. Kitchen knife production suits the temperament of the Japanese, and Japanese knives are highly prized all over the world. With solid promotion and branding, the industry could be even more interesting.
Hayashi: Yes. However, the kitchen knife industry has currently bifurcated into two poles. Major manufacturers and wholesalers are broadening their marketing channels outside of Japan, and factory production lines are under so much pressure that they can’t keep up. Waiting a few years for a high-grade kitchen knife production line is not an unusual occurrence. However, regional retail stores, like my family’s, are seeing declining sales. This is due to the rise of home centers, as well as reduced customer traffic driven by depopulation and changes in people’s patterns of movement. Almost all small and medium-sized wholesalers supplying retail stores have seen slumping sales due to reduced buying by their customers.
The top concern under these circumstances is the inability to properly remunerate artisans. It’s a bad situation that drives the next generation away from the trade of making kitchen knives. Globally, the reputation of Japanese kitchen knives is rising, but, at the same time, action is needed to raise the price of high-quality kitchen knives.
Kato: If the industry is to continue on a sustainable footing, we must ensure that the fruits of added value reach the artisans, and to that end, we need to charge more for high-quality products. This is an issue we see everywhere in Japan.
Now, in selecting a good kitchen knife, what points should we consider, in your opinion?
Hayashi: The first point is how frequently you cook. If you cook every day, and can spend some time on maintenance, I would recommend a Japanese knife, or a steel knife, with a good cutting edge. If you don’t want to be bothered with maintenance, or you only cook once a week, a rust-proof stainless steel kitchen knife with simple upkeep is easy to use. If you’re not especially choosy, perhaps the best is a Santoku kitchen knife, one of the most typical varieties from Japan. Today’s stainless steel knives cut well, and are very easy to maintain, but when it comes to sharpening, regular steel is better than high-hardness stainless steel.
(Part 2)
