Japanese Kitchen Knives

Shunichi Tahara – Master Knife Sharpener

Our Japanese kitchen knives are shaped, sharpened and finished by Tahara Shunichi, who has devoted his life to the fine art of making traditional Japanese steelware. The Tahara family’s passion for knives began over 100 years ago with Mr Tahara’s grandfather. For over 50 years, Tahara Shunichi has continued this legacy, devoting his life to the fine art of traditional Japanese knife-making. Working in Sakai, Osaka, a city with a centuries-old reputation for crafting some of the world’s finest blades, he bridges the gap between raw forged steel and a usable, high-performance edge. Without good shaping and sharpening, even a well forged blade will perform poorly.

Each craftsman at Sakai has his own workshop devoted to different stages of the knife-making process: forging, shaping, sharpening, and finishing the blades. With steel hot from the forge, the blacksmith uses the press for the initial forming of the blade, which he then manually hammers to further the process. From there, the rough steel is taken to Shunichi Tahara, who shapes and sharpens the blade using an ox bone grinder for part of the shaping process, powered by an intricate system of belt-driven motors.

Recognised by both the Japanese government and the Osaka Prefecture as a Master of Traditional Crafts, Mr. Tahara is held in the highest esteem for his exceptional skill and craftsmanship. Through decades of hands-on work, he has developed a rare sensitivity to each blade, allowing him to create tools of remarkable balance, precision and beauty.

In his quiet workshop, Shunichi Tahara works alone, refining each knife with absolute care. His range includes everything from the elegant yanagiba, used for slicing sashimi in one clean stroke, to the sturdy deba for filleting fish, the wide-bladed nakiri for vegetables, and all-purpose kitchen essentials like the gyuto and the petty, which is similar to a European paring knife.

All of our Japanese kitchen knives are made in the workshops of Sakai and exclusively shaped and sharpened by Mr Tahara, whose unmatched expertise ensures that every blade is not only a tool, but a work of enduring craftsmanship.

How to sharpen your Japanese knife