Japanese swordsmiths are amongst the greatest in history – who wouldn’t recognise a katana (samurai sword)!? But now that there is no longer a daily need for a katana, the honed skills of the best smiths in the world have been passed to the knife makers.
Japanese knives, while on the pricey side, make a fantastic souvenir! The most well known spots to buy knives in Japan are Osaka – the food capital of Japan, and Tokyo – the most Michelin starred city in the world, (fun fact: with nearly double the stars of #2 Paris, and 3x that of #5 New York).
Gyuto vs Santoku? Nakiri vs Usuba? Yanagiba vs Takohiki? Don’t know what any of these are? There are many different kinds of Japanese knives, it can be very overwhelming! Luckily I have a post just for you – click here to sharpen your knowledge on Japanese knives and decide which knife is best for you.
Where to buy knives in Tokyo
I reckon Tokyo has a much larger selection than Osaka. There are two key hubs in Tokyo to buy Japanese chef knives: Asakusa, and Tsukiji fish market. Asakusa has more of a shop feel, Tsukiji more of a market feel. Asakusa is the biggest hub of knife shops in Japan. I think Asakusa is better suited for consumers and tourists, and Tsukiji is less busy, and you may get a slightly better deal.
Asakusa – Kappabashi Dougu Street
All of the shops on this list are within 10 minutes walk of eachother – all bar one are down the same street! Here’s my ranked list of shops to go to in Asakusa.
1. Seisuke Knife (Kaminarimon Branch) 清助刃物新仲見世店
This first shop is in Asakusa, but not technically down Kappabashi Dougu Street. It’s just off the Kaminarimon Nakamise shopping street (the shopping street between Kaminarimon and Sensoji temple). So it’s about a 10 minute walk away from all of the other shops (all of the other shops are down the same street, within 5 minutes of eachother).
Beautiful shop. This would be my first equal pick for best place to go – they have a large range of Japanese knives and a good mix of high end and entry level options. Actually, all of the photos of knives above are from Seisuke Knife. Staff speak English here too.
2. Seisuke Knife Premium Knife Store 清助刃物(包丁専門店) 清助刃物
Same shop as above, different branch. This one is slightly bigger. Large range and a good mix of high end and entry level options. Staff speak English here too.
Incredible store with a great range. Higher end shop in the sense that they don’t really stock any super cheap items, but they stock a good range of mid and high end items. Also, they have an amazing display of super premium whetstones that are just as impressive as the knives (and just as expensive too)! Staff speak English here too. Note I couldn’t find this store on Google maps but the pinned link is to the location of the store.
4. KAMATA Hakensha – Japanese knife store 合羽橋 包丁専門店 かまた刃研社
Small shop, and a smaller range, but they seem to have everything! All knives here are excellent so you chances are they will have what you are looking for. Staff speak English here too.
5. Tokuzo 徳蔵
Same shop as the one in Osaka where I got my Gyuto. Great selection of quality knives. Staff speak English here too. This shop is right next door to #8 Kiwami!
6. Kamaasa 釜浅商店
Higher end shop with great knives. You can tell because everything is spaced out like a Louis Vuitton store. Also upstairs they have a display of very premium tuna knives and other cleavers and noodle knives that’ll set you back a few thousand dollars. This store has a bunch of knife accessories so can be useful for those things – though again they are about 25% more expensive than other shops. Staff speak English here too.
Two shops right next to eachother with the same name – I assume they have the same owner. Anyway, check out both. They have some impressive tuna knives in the display that’re about twice as long as a katana (samurai sword)! These two shops have a lot of knives all in a tiny area. They also have some knives that are cheap (which also comes at a cost of quality). In general I was not as impressed at the quality of these knives as compared to other stores higher on this list.
8. Kiwami 貴和美
Quality knives though many of the knives in this store have a western handle. If that’s what you’re after then this shop might do you well! For me though, when buying a Japanese knife, I want a Japanese handle. Staff speak English here too. This shop is right next door to #5 Tozoku!
If you are on a budget, these are probably the cheapest handmade Japanese knives you can find! For the cheap knives they offer, the finish quality (mounting into handle and overall appearance) is not as good as others, but you have to accept that with the lower price tag. They have some good quality knives too and a good selection of accessories. Staff speak English here too.
Tsukiji Fish Market
All of these shops are within a 5 minute walk of each other and another great hub to buy Japanese knives. Non-ranked list:
Where to buy knives in Osaka
Sennichimae Doguyasuji Shopping Street is the place to go in Osaka, its very similar to Tokyo’s Kappabashi Dougu Street, a street filled with kitchenware shops. The three best shops in my opinion are:
Another knife shop that’s not in Doguyasuji (Kitchenware street) is Tower Knives Osaka. I only mention this because it’s an absolutely incredible shop.
Useful Japanese phrases & Vocab
Probably not beginner friendly, as even if you nail the pronunciation, you will need to understand the response. But here are some intermediate phrases for you.
Phrases
- I’m looking for a 210mm Gyuto. ２１センチ牛刀を探しています
- Can I try both a 210mm and 240mm Gyuto? 21センチと24センチの牛刀をみていいですか
- How much is this? これはいくらですか
- Can I get a tax free discount with my passport? パスポートで免税になりますか
- How much is your cheapest Gyuto? 一番安い牛刀はいくらですか
- How long is this blade? 刃渡りは何センチですか
- What kind of material is this? 材質は何ですか
- Is this handmade or machine made? これは手作りですか、それとも機械製ですか
- Do you have this same knife but with an octagonal handle? これと同じ刃で、八角の包丁はありますか
Vocab
- Knife 包丁 or ナイフ
- Blade 刃
- Blade length 刃渡り
- Single-bevel edge 片刃
- Double-bevel edge 両刃
- Material (e.g. stainless steel, carbon steel, wood) 材質
- Stainless steel ステンレス
- Carbon steel 鋼
- Western Handle 洋（ハンドル）
- Japanese handle 和（ハンドル）
- Octagonal handle 八角（ハンドル）
- Oval handle 小判型（ハンドル or 楕円（ハンドル）
- D-shaped handle 鎬（ハンドル）or 栗型（ハンドル）
- Handmade 手作り
- Machine made 機械製 or マシーンメイド
