About This Site

What this site is

Sakai Japanese Knives is an independent guide to Japanese kitchen knives: what each type is for, which ones are worth buying, and how to keep them sharp on a whetstone. It's written for home cooks about to buy their first good knife, or nervous about sharpening the one they have.

What it isn't

• Not a shop. We don't sell knives.
• Not from Sakai. The name refers to the knife-making town in Osaka Prefecture and its history. We aren't based there.
• Not connected to any maker or brand, including any knife brand with "Sakai" in its name.
• Not the shop that used this domain before. A Scandinavian store selling Japanese knives used sakaijapaneseknives.com until 2025. This site is unrelated and has new owners.

How it's paid for

Some links to retailers are affiliate links: if you buy through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We buy the knives and stones we review ourselves and don't accept payment for placement. See the affiliate disclosure and how we test.

Corrections

We fix errors and note significant changes on the page.