Kevin JohnsonAlthough cooking experts disagree on many things, they all agree that the best chef’s knife is a must-have kitchen tool. Your knife can make or break your cooking game. Japan offers some of the world’s best knives. Why? Japanese knife brands use carbon steel. This metal delivers extra sharpness. The top manufacturers offer high-quality chef’s knives in multiple shapes, sizes, materials, and styles.
Japanese knife types include the Gyuto, all-purpose Santoku, Petty, Sujihiki, Deba, Hankotsu, Yo-Deba, Honesuki, Nakiri, and Paring. These options cater to specific tasks and ingredients, such as cutting thin meat slices, breaking down fish, boning, dicing vegetables, and filleting fish and soft meats. However, the Santoku is an all-purpose tool like the Western-style chef’s knife. But which are the best Japanese knife brands?
Here is a comprehensive analysis of the 15 best Japanese knife brands:
1. Miyabi
Miyabi is a leading Japanese knife brand owned by Zwilling J.A. Henckels from Germany. The brand exemplifies Japanese craftsmanship and tradition. Its Japan-based factory blends cutting-edge German tech from Zwilling and traditional Japanese knife-making techniques. You can buy Miyabi knives on Zwilling’s Amazon store.
Image source: Miyabi Knives
Miyabi designs its knives to empower all users, from professional chefs to home cooks. How do cooking experts use Miyabi knives to maximize the benefits? First, perfect your knife-holding technique to ensure optimal grip, balance, and control. Second, use the best slicing, dicing, cutting, and mincing tactics to enhance efficiency. Position the knife’s blade perpendicular to the ingredient on your chopping board to deliver clean, uniform cuts or slices. Miyabi knives can elevate your culinary skills. [1]
Pros: Miyabi offers high-quality Japanese knives for different cutting tasks. The brand uses optimized cold-tempering techniques, creating corrosion-resistant knives. The hardness level reduces chipping and blunting. Miyabi knives are known for their sharpness, durability, and aesthetic design.
Cons: Miyabi knives are pricey. For example, the Miyabi 500MCD67 Gyuto Chef’s Knife costs over $1,100
Price Range: $137-$1,149
2. Shun
Shun is a Japanese knife brand owned by the Kai Corporation. Kai founded Shun to help North Americans and Europeans access high-quality Japanese knives. Shun’s knife collection includes the Premier and Classic Blonde series. However, the Shun Premier Chef knife is a Japanese/Western-style hybrid. Its shape isn’t similar to Gyuto, Kiritsuke, Sujihiki, or Hankotsu. [2]
Image source: Shun USA
Pros: Shun designs beautiful knives with durable materials, such as VG-MAX steel on the blade and pakkawood with steel caps on the handles. The brand blends traditional Japanese knife-making techniques and modern technology to meet the needs of professional chefs and home cooks. Its unique Japanese/Western-style hybrids are perfect for North Americans and Europeans.
Cons: Shun uses VG-MAX steel, ensuring your knife is ultrathin but super-hard. However, sharpening VG-MAX steel with a 12° edge can be challenging.
Price Range: $159-$595
3. Tojiro
Tojiro is a renowned cutler in Sanjou City, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The brand offers Japanese and Western knives, including Petty, Santoku, Gyuto, Nakiri, Sujihiki, Usuba, Deba, Yanagi-Sashimi, and Tako-Sashimi. Although Usuba resembles the Nakiri, the knife is a single bevel for cutting or peeling vegetables. Tako-Sashimi is a Kanto-style sashimi knife that is shorter than the Yanagi-Sashimi. Both are perfect for slicing sashimi and carving fish slices. You can buy Tojiro knives on Amazon.
Image source: Tojiro Japan
Tojiro has an Open Factory, allowing customers to engage with the brand’s artisans. You can visit the facility to explore Tojiro’s knife-making process. In Mar 2024, the Tojiro Knife Gallery Tokyo was awarded the 2024 iF Design Award in the Retail Store category. The brand opened the outlet in Feb 2023, allowing customers to feel the craftsmanship of knife making. This store offers around 200 Tojiro products. [3]
Pros: Tojiro offers high-quality Japanese and Western-style knives across price points. The brand’s comprehensive knife collection caters to all consumers, from professional chefs to home cooks.
Cons: Tojiro’s high-end knives can be pricey. They are reserved for professional chefs.
Price Range: $70-$269
4. Sakai Takayuki
Sakai Takayuki is a renowned Japanese knife brand and the largest knife maker in Sakai City. The brand has over 600 years of history in the cutlery business. Professional chefs and home cooks in over 100 countries use Sakai Takayuki knives made in Sakai, Japan.
Image source: Sakai Takayuki
Pros: Sakai Takayuki has refined its knife-making techniques for 600 years. The brand offers fine Western and traditional Japanese knives with beautiful styles and razor-sharp Damascus steel blades. Each Sakai Takayuki knife is a masterpiece.
Cons: Most Sakai Takayuki knives have traditional Japanese designs like Gyuto rather than Western styles. Its high-carbon steel blades are hand-sharpened using the traditional Honbazuke method to ensure high-level sharpness and precision cutting.
Price Range: $51-$299
5. Misono
Misono is Japan’s oldest Western-style knife maker, with over 750 years of experience. Each Misono knife is crafted by professional artisans in its Seki workshop. In Mar 2024, US News recognized the Misono UX10 as the Best High-End Knife on its annual Best Chef’s Knives list. The Misono UX10 series uses high-quality Swedish stain-resistant steel with long-lasting edge retention. You can buy Misono knives on Amazon. [4]
Image source: Misono Knives
Pros: Misono has refined its Japanese knife-making techniques for over 750 years. The brand covers most traditional Japanese styles, including Gyuto, Santoku, Sujihiki, Deba, Hankotsu, Honesuki, and Nakiri. It also offers Western-style Chef’s Knife, Yo-Deba, and Fillet Knife.
Cons: Misono’s high-end knives, like the UX-10 Chef’s Knife, are expensive. The UX-10 isn’t the best option for left-handed people. Sharpening a Misono knife requires expertise.
Price Range: $65-$425
6. Nenohi/Nenox
Nenohi is a knife brand founded in 1975 by Norio Sawada to produce premium traditional Japanese knives from high-carbon steel. The company launched the Nenox label to offer Western-style knives. In 2024, Nenohi’s solid steel, NENOX series, celebrated its 30th anniversary. The brand developed the new NENOX X series to mark this milestone. The X is for Extreme and caters to NENOX fans and cooking pros seeking high-level performance. [5]
Image source: Nenohi
Pros: Nenohi offers 18 Japanese knife styles, while Nenox provides 45 Western-style knives. Both combine razor-sharp stain-resistant blades with beautiful natural wood and bone handles. You can rely on the Nenox S and X series to access innovative, easy-to-sharpen knives.
Cons: Nenohi is a premium Japanese knife brand. Its products are pricey. You’ll need over $6,900 to buy Nenohi Honyaki Dentokougeishi Sakimaru Takobiki with Corian Handle, one of the world’s most expensive knives.
Price Range: $399-$6,980
7. Global Knives
Global is a Japanese knife brand founded in 1985 and manufactured by Yoshikin Factory. It is known for its iconic G-shaped hollow handles, with an ergonomic thumb rest for smooth, efficient cutting. The brand has four knife lines: Global, NI, UKON, and SAI. Each uses a patented Cromova18 stainless steel that blends chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium. The Cromova18 is forged with a computerized grind process to create stain-, rust-, and chip-resistant blades. Then, the blades are sharpened to a 12.5-degree edge and mirror-polished by hand for long-lasting sharpness. Visit the Global Cutlery store on Amazon. [6]
Image source: Global Knives
Pros: Global combines traditional knife forging techniques with computerized grinding to create durable, high-quality knives with superior sharpness and unique design. The brand has perfected its knife-making process with the ultra-hard Cromova18 stainless steel for nearly 4 decades.
Cons: The brand’s Cromova18 stainless steel guarantees longer-lasting sharpness. However, the sharpness won’t last forever. Sharpening ultra-hard Cromova18 stainless steel blade with a 12.5-degree edge can be challenging.
Price Range: $50-$249
8. Takeshi Saji
Takeshi Saji bears the name of its founder from a family of second-generation smiths. Saji followed his family’s traditions, becoming the leading blacksmith in Echizen. He partnered with 10 knife makers and established the Takefu Knife Village display room in Echizen, Fukui Prefecture. In 1992, the Japanese Ministry of International Trade & Industry recognized Takeshi Saji as a certified “Traditional Master Craftsman.” You can buy Takeshi Saji knives on Amazon.
Image source: Takeshi Saji/Amazon
Pros: Takeshi Saji offers Japanese knives known for their sharpness, hardness, and roundish handle designs. The brand uses traditional hammer-forging techniques and unique materials in different combinations. Each Takeshi Saji knife is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
Cons: Takeshi Saji doesn’t have a specific knife series or lines. Master Saji crafts each blade based on his ideas and designs. This approach delivers beautiful but pricey knives.
Price range: $184-$2,440
9. Togiharu
Togiharu is Korin’s house brand, offering user-friendly knives. Its knife collection includes the Gyuto, Nakiri, petty, slicer, and chef’s knives. In 2023, Wired featured the Korin Togiharu Inox Steel Gyuto on its annual Best Chef’s Knives list. This knife is sharpened on both sides, unlike traditional single-edged blades. Visit the Togiharu store on Amazon. [7]
Image source: Togiharu
Pros: Togiharu offers stylish and high-quality knives at competitive prices. Its collection covers popular knife styles, from Gyuto to Nakiri, slicers, and chef’s knives.
Cons: Togiharu knives are affordable but not the cheapest. Their price points are perfect for professional chefs.
Price Range: $79-$259
10. Ginsu
Ginsu is a knife brand founded by Ed Valenti and Barry Becher over 40 years ago. The brand is owned by the Douglas Quikut Division under Berkshire Hathaway. It offers the Chikara, Kiso, and Daku cutlery series. However, only the Chikara line provides Japanese knives. You can buy the Ginsu Chikara 8-Piece Knife Set to fulfill your needs cost-effectively. Visit the Ginsu store on Amazon.
Image source: Ginsu
Pros: Ginsu is one of the most affordable Japanese knife brands. Its bamboo block knife sets cost $59-$189 and includes a Santoku, utility, serrated, and chef’s knife. Some options also have honing rods and heavy-duty shears.
Cons: Ginsu Chikara offers limited options. The line has only five Japanese-style knives with a similar design.
Price Range: $13.99-$29
11. Masamoto Sohonten
Masamoto is a Japanese knife brand founded in 1866 by Minosuke Matsuzawa. The founder, a first-generation Matsuzawa knife craftsman, devoted his life to improving the craft and producing high-quality knives. Masamoto won its first gold and bronze prizes at the 1907 Tokyo Industrial Exhibition. The brand has produced award-winning Japanese knives for over 100 years. Visit the Masamoto store on Amazon.
Image source: Masamoto Sohonten
Pros: Masamoto has over 150 years of knife-making experience. The brand has refined and employed its founder’s crafting techniques for six generations. It offers traditional Japanese and Western-style knives for cooking enthusiasts of all skill levels.
Cons: Masamoto doesn’t offer cheap entry-level knives for beginners. Its cheapest option costs over $100.
Price Range: $108-$368
12. Mac Knives
Image source: MAC Knives
Pros: Mac makes its knives from high-quality Japanese Molybdenum high-carbon steel with excellent edge retention. Its knives have razor-sharp edges, comfortable handles, agile blades, and tapered shapes. These features simplify everyday dicing, chopping, and slicing tasks.
Cons: Mac is one of the most counterfeited Japanese knife brands. Ensure you buy your Mac knife directly from the brand or an authorized seller to avoid poor-quality fakes.
Price Range: $69-$239
13. Yoshihiro
Yoshihiro is a cutlery company specializing in handcrafted premium Japanese kitchen knives. The brand offers Gyuto, Santoku, Nakiri, Usuba, Yanagi, Sujihiki, Kiritsuke, and Honesuki knives. In 2008, Yoshihiro expanded its operations globally. It provides over 600 premium Japanese knives through its LA, California facility and international online platform. Visit the Yoshihiro store on Amazon to explore the brand’s knife collection.
Image source: Yoshihiro Cutlery
Pros: Yoshihiro has over 100 years of knife-making experience. However, its techniques date back to the 14th-century medieval Japanese sword smiths, who transitioned to knife smiths. Yoshihiro is the go-to brand for premium Japanese knives.
Cons: Yoshihiro’s handcrafted premium Japanese kitchen knives are expensive. The Yoshihiro Shiroko Kasumi Deba Fillet Knife costs $240.
Price Range: $149.99-$1,499
14. Kikuichi Sujihiki Knife
Kikuichi is the world’s oldest knife company, with over 750 years of history. It was founded in the 13th century during Japan’s Kamakura period. In the 19th century, Kikuichi transitioned from sword-crafting to knife-making using its centuries-old samurai techniques. The Kikuichi Warikomi Sujihiki Knife is recognized as the best blade for slicing and carving. You can buy this 9.5-inch Kikuichi Sujihiki Knife on Amazon.
Image source: Kikuichi
Pros: Kikuichi has 750 years of history and over 150 years of experience in Japanese knife-making. Its knives are handcrafted by artisans in Nara, Japan, using samurai sword-making techniques.
Cons: Kikuichi specializes in traditional Japanese knives. It offers limited Japanese/Western-style hybrids. Its handcrafted knives can be pricey.
Price Range: $100-$500
15. Zelite Infinity
Zelite was founded to meet the evolving needs of the culinary world. The brand launched its iconic Alpha-Royal Japanese Damascus knives in 2015. Its Infinity line also offers Santoku, Nakiri, Paring, Boning, and Serrate Utility knives. In 2024, Spruce Eats recognized the Zelite Infinity Santoku Knife as the Best for Beginners. Visit the Zelite Infinity store on Amazon. [9]
Image source: Zelite
Pros: Zelite offers affordable, beginner-friendly Japanese knives. Its Alpha-Royal Japanese Damascus, Santoku, and Nakiri knives are known for their unmatched sharpness, exceptional edge retention, and remarkable resistance to rust and stains.
Cons: Zelite knives may not meet the needs of professional chefs working on demanding tasks. They are perfect for beginners, intermediate chefs, and home cooks seeking affordable, high-quality options.
Price Range: $49.99-$288
References & more information
- Watson, A. (2024, Jul 22). How to elevate your culinary skills with Miyabi Knives. Arima Homewares
- North, A. (2024, Aug 1). Shun Premier Chef’s Knife Review. Nothing but Knives
- Tojiro (2024 Mar 22). The Tojiro Knife Gallery Tokyo has been awarded the “iF Design Award 2024.” Tojiro-Japan.com
- Martinet, T. (2024, Mar 8). Best Chef’s Knives of 2024. US News
- Nenohi (2024, Jan 15). Introduction of NENOX-X series. Nenohi.jp
- HK Staff (2022, Dec 12). The Immaculate Craftsmanship of Global Knives: A Closer Look. House of Knives
- Gilbertson, S. (2023, May 2). The Best Chef’s Knives to sharpen your home cooking skills. Wired
- Stockton, L. (2024, Jul 8). Wirecutter: The Best Chef’s Knife. The New York Times
- Horn, J. (2024, Aug 27). We Tested Some of the Best Japanese Knives, and These Cut Through All the Rest. Spruce Eats
- Featured Image by Ali Kazal
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