Kitchen knives by Jikko

jikko, 實光刃物, craftsman work of knives, made in japan

FROM AMATEUR TO PROFESSIONAL, SPECIAL KNIFE SHOP IN OSAKA.

Since my wife is pregnant, most of house work is my joyful mission. That, of course, includes cooking. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to do anything to help her and our baby. But, what makes my life after work easier is, having useful tools makes things a lot easier and more fun.

A knife shop called Jikko has more than 100 years of making knives. The store is located in Sakai city of Osaka. Their wide range of variety in knives has been satisfying both professional chefs, and moms and dads at home.

All of their products are hand finished and made in Japan. Quality is 100% guaranteed. Sharpness can be gained by sharpening, any knife can be. What differentiates is durability.

Knowing your use of the knife will maximize it. Let me briefly explain.

There are 3 kinds of materials applied to knives. Hagane steel, stainless steel, and ceramic. Each material has advantage and disadvantage.

Hagane steel. (鋼)

Defined by Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) as, steel to obtain carbon more than 0.6%.

Advantage: High sharpness and easy to be re-sharpened.

Disadvantage: Get rusty and requires constant care.

Stainless. (ステンレス)

Steel that contains certain amount of carbon and chrome.

Advantage: Chrome prevents rust and price is reasonable.

Disadvantage: Less sharper and durable than Hagane steel. Therefore, shorter life.

Ceramic. (セラミック)

Advantage: Won't get rusty and metallic tasting free.

Disadvantage: The least durable compared to other materials.

(At Jikko, ceramic products I could find are grindstones.)

So, if your highest priority is durability, go for Hagane. If you can be bothered to maintain, go for Stainless.

Not to mention there are hundreds of choices at the store, there is a cutting trial space. After deciding what to buy, your name can be scraped on your knife for no extra charge.

Tsuchime warikomi Damascus. (槌目割込ダマスカス)

Price: ¥10,800

Probably the highest quality knife for home use you can find in Japan. Price is just right. High quality Hagane, V10 is used. Hammered dents on side of the blade is called "Tsuchime (槌目)", which makes cut foods won't stick on. Grip of the knife is made of mahogany wood.

Narikiri kuro hocho. (菜切黒包丁)

Price: ¥7,884

Narikiri was former name for vegetable knife. But it is used as standard knife, nowadays. Shiro hagane (白鋼) is used. Requires daily care but easy to sharpened.

Standard gyuto hocho. (スタンダード牛刀包丁)

Price: ¥6,804 (180mm)

AKA chef's knife or French knife. Resin handle is applied, so more hygienic. Size is available from 180mm to 300mm (¥ 11,772). Molybdenum steel is used. (Rust resist)