On the History of Japanese Kitchen Knives
Nara Period (710 to 794)
The oldest surviving Japanese kitchen knives that resemble modern Japanese knives date back to the Nara period. Ten of these knives have been preserved in the Shosoin (the treasure house of Todaiji Temple) in Nara as historical and cultural treasures of Japan.
During the Nara period, these kitchen knives were made during the reign of Emperor Shoumu.
A unique feature of Nara-era knives is that their shape is very similar to Japanese swords (Katana), with very long handles. Their length was 38–41 cm.
Heian Period (794 to 1185)
During the Heian period, Japanese kitchen knives became symbols of social status and were considered objects of pride and luxury rather than ordinary tools.
One of the catalysts that significantly contributed to the prestige of artisan kitchen knives was the introduction of the “Houchou-Shiki” or “Knife Ceremony.”
This ritual religious ceremony was introduced during the Heian period and can still be experienced at the Takabe Shrine (a Shinto shrine dedicated to the deity of kitchen and cooking), located in Minamiboso city in Chiba Prefecture.
During this ceremony, a knife master performs a ritual in which food ingredients are prepared before the emperor using only a knife and chopsticks, following the strict rule that the blade handler must not touch the ingredients during preparation.
The knife master is dressed in a unique traditional Japanese garment and sits with a large cutting board in front of him, where the ingredients are placed. He holds the chopsticks in his right hand and the knife in his left.
This performance requires extreme knife-handling skills and years of practice. Through this tradition, knife making, cooking, cutting, slicing, etc., and the use of knives gained cultural, religious, and historical significance during the Heian era.
According to food historian and chef Hideo Dekura:
“The basis of Honcho-Shiki is the appreciation of food. Every beautiful and meaningful movement of the ritual shows respect for food; and the detailed and thorough cuts of the knife symbolize the mindset of wasting nothing. I believe that this philosophy has been carried on for 1300 years to the present day, and it is reflected in the spirit of modern Japanese cooking.”
Kamakura Period (1185 to 1333)
The Kamakura period is known for the rise of the samurai warrior caste and brought immense and dramatic change in Japan’s politics, culture, and society.
With the samurai clan gaining power, the items used by samurai, such as swords, became more important in society, and consequently, so did the blacksmiths who made swords for the samurai warriors and rulers.
In addition, the art of sword-making in recent years has been transferred to the art of knife-making, so the history of Japanese sword-making is an important aspect of the evolution of Japanese knives.
Seki – a city that emerged during the Kamakura period.
Located in Gifu Prefecture, the city of Seki is now known as Japan’s center of cutlery. Today, Seki is one of the “3 S cities of cutlery – Seki (Japan), Solingen (Germany), and Sheffield (England).”
Seki is a city richly blessed with natural ingredients necessary for forging high-quality cutlery, such as clear water from mountain springs, pine charcoal, abundant iron sand deposits, and two important rivers, Nagara and Tsubo, which provide shipping infrastructure.
All these features attracted a swordsmith named Motoshige, known as the founder of Japanese swords, and inspired him to move to Seki (around 1229–1261) and establish a swordsmith community in the area.
Kamakura-period samurai warriors praised the Seki blade as “does not bend, does not break, cuts well.”
Gorō Nyūdō Masamune – the greatest known blacksmith of the Kamakura era.
Masamune, who lived during the Kamakura period, is known as the greatest Japanese blacksmith.
He is said to have perfected the art of “Nie,” a term describing the shimmer of steel crystals in a pearlite matrix, resembling stars in the night sky.
However, this was very difficult at the time, as the steel used for sword-making was often contaminated with impurities.
The most famous sword made by Masamune is the “Honjo Masamune.”
This sword was a symbolic weapon of the Tokugawa Shogunate throughout the Edo period, a prestigious family heirloom passed from one Shogun to another.
Muromachi Period (1336 to 1573)
The Muromachi period was one of the most violent in Japanese history, marked by feudal wars and political unrest.
Despite this instability, this historical period witnessed great cultural growth. Traditional Japanese arts such as tea ceremonies, Ikebana (flower arrangement), ink painting, etc., flourished under the influence of Zen Buddhism.
During the Muromachi period, the formats of Japanese cuisine were also developed. As a result, different schools of Japanese cuisine emerged during this time.
In this period, Japanese knives began to be referred to by the current Japanese word for kitchen knife – “Houchou.”
The knives used during the Muromachi period are believed to have been used exclusively for cutting vegetables (as meat consumption is discouraged in Buddhism), and the blades had a concave shape.
Edo Period (1603 to 1867)
The Edo period began with the end of the Sengoku (warring) period and thus marked a time of peace, political stability, and economic and cultural growth in Japan.
As a result, people enjoyed Japanese traditions, arts, culture, and beauty more than ever before.
Until the early Edo period, most kitchen knives resembled Japanese swords – with narrow, slightly curved blades and long handles.
However, as the Edo period progressed, there was decreasing need for swords due to a relatively stable political climate.
Thus, swordsmiths from the Sengoku era turned their craft to making household blades such as kitchen knives and farming tools.
Because of the flourishing of Japanese culinary arts, chefs’ roles also became more specialized, with titles like “Houchoushi” (master of the knife, cooks who cut meat and fish) and “Kizamisakanashi” (master of dishes, cooks who would cut vegetables).
Thanks to these changes, new and different types of Japanese kitchen knives appeared from the mid to late Edo period.
Some of these are today’s most famous Japanese knives, such as Deba, Yanagiba, Usuba, and Nakiri.
Meiji Era (1868 to 1912)
During the Meiji Restoration, Japan underwent rapid modernization and Westernization.
Everything began to change during this period – from politics and social traditions to people’s eating habits.
According to Buddhist beliefs, eating meat, especially beef, was discouraged, and the Japanese had avoided meat consumption for over 12 centuries.
However, the Meiji Emperor ate beef and broke this taboo.
After this, meat began to be consumed, leading to the creation of knives specialized for cutting meat, such as Gyuutou (the Japanese version of a Western chef’s knife).
As people started eating meat even in regular households, it was a lot of work for ordinary home cooks to maintain special-purpose knives; therefore, a multipurpose knife called the Santoku knife was created.
Another important influence of the Meiji Restoration on Japanese kitchen knives came through the “Sword Abolishment Edict.”
This was a general ban on carrying swords for ordinary people.
This limited swordsmiths to producing only a few swords a year, so swordsmiths began making other cutting tools, such as kitchen knives.
These generations of swordsmith families have now established the highly regarded Japanese kitchen knife industry and are still active today, carrying with them centuries of history and tradition.