Source: AFP
Blacksmith Yoshihiro Yauji pulls a piece of shiny metal from the forge in a Japanese village, continuing a tradition that dates back centuries to when the region was known for making swords carried by samurai.
He places the steel under a spring hammer, and the sound of metal being flattened and hardened on a kitchen knife echoes in the mountains surrounding the workshop.
“I believe that blades are the fundamental root of Japanese culture,” said Yauji, 40.
“If you can condense 700 years, 1,000 years or 1,500 years of technology into a single product, the appeal of the product will be different,” he explained, adding that he originally wanted to make katana swords once used by samurai. .
Yauji began at 20 as an apprentice to Hideo Kitaoka, who helped establish the collection of cooperative workshops that make up Takefu Knife Village.
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After 18 years, Yauji launched his knife line in 2021.
Source: AFP
But in the 1970s and 80s, the city of Echizen where the knife village is located was in crisis, with artisans unable to compete with cheaper mass-produced tools.
Kitaoka and other master blacksmiths joined together to form a cooperative and, with the help of renowned designer Kazuo Kawasaki, began producing designs that turned Echizen knives into works of art.
“During my boss’s generation, the environment was not like it is today; they were just struggling to survive,” Yauji said.
“My generation is on the rise. Therefore, I feel it is necessary to once again improve our skills in order for the brand and its value to continue to exist.”
About 80 percent of Echizen-made knives are now exported, Yauji said, making their way into professional kitchens around the world and even starring in hit TV series “The Bear.”
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The hand fits the knife
Source: AFP
The forge at Takefu is fired at 900 degrees Celsius (1,652 degrees Fahrenheit) and the handcrafted Japanese blades made from molten orange core, after being forged, shaped and polished, are sharp enough to split a hair.
“The Japanese knife brings out the best ingredients. Texture, bitterness, sweetness,” Yauji said.
“I think it’s a knife specialized to bring out the true flavor of the ingredient itself.”
Knife makers can spend an entire day perfecting a single piece.
Source: AFP
The metal is heated until malleable and then hammered — a process repeated many times — before being shaped, quenched in oil or water, and allowed to cool.
Once the temperature stabilizes, it is ready for sharpening. Most blacksmiths hand the knife over to specialist sharpeners at this stage.
The vessel is then ready for the final step of the process: handle construction.
“Japanese cutlery, in my opinion, is about the hands learning to apply the tool” rather than the knife being designed for user comfort, Yauji said.
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“It’s a way of trying to create a deeper connection.”
“Soul of a Chef”
Source: AFP
Using his custom-made yanagiba (willow blade) sashimi knife, chef Shintaro Matsuo slices a buttery slab of fatty tuna at Osaka’s acclaimed Koryu restaurant, considered one of the best restaurants in a city called Japan’s cuisine.
Matsuo’s dishes combine subtle flavors using ingredients from the surrounding Kansai region, all artfully aided by blades made in Sakai, a small town on the outskirts of Osaka that is considered the heart of Japan’s hocho (kitchen knife).
“The knife is an extension of my hand,” explained the chef, proudly holding the long, narrow blade specially made by blacksmith Minamoto Izumimasa.
“Japanese steel allows the flavors of the food to remain intact,” added Matsuo.
Source: AFP
Chefs in the country spend years honing their knife skills and patiently learn to master the blades that are often more difficult to use and require greater expertise.
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“The Japanese have a unique sense of beauty when it comes to cutlery,” said Ryoyo Yamawaki, whose Sakai-based company has been making knives since 1929.
“Since ancient times, the Japanese sword has been said to be the soul of a samurai and the knife the soul of a chef.”
Source: AFP