# Japanese knife lexicon for searching Rakuten, Ebay.jp, etc.



## perneto

Since the site is pretty inscrutable, I figured I'd start a reference thread with links to sellers that carry interesting stuff - saves us all some time.
Do add stores you've found too!
Lists of brands the stores carry are not exhaustive, they're just what I managed to ascertain. 

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/yamakawa/
Carries Masamoto, Sakai Takayuki (including crazy stuff like a 300mm honyaki deba!)

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/houcho/
Carries Suisin Inox Honyaki, other unidentified Sakai makers

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/yminfo/
Carries Yoshikane, Tojiro, Sugimoto

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/nzshinkai/
Carries Shigefusa, Tsukiji Masamoto

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/newworldnet/
Carries Misono, Hiromoto AS, Masahiro, Masamoto

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/sugiyama/
Carries Masamoto, Misono, Aritsugu, natural stones

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/mingei/
No knives, but really fancy tableware 

Let me know what you find!


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## labor of love

couldnt find the hiromotos in that one link. do you know which particular hiromotos they carry?


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## perneto

Aha, my bad. Here are the Hiromotos:
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/toyokuni/item/10000765/
Unfortunately this store doesn't ship outside of Japan, it seems.

Looking for them, I just found this other one that carries Zakuri:
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/chokuhan/

If you can figure out how to type the kanji for Hiromoto, search will work (unlike searching in English - I think search works on the original page in Japanese and not on the English automatic translation).
This is how I found the Zakuri, searching for blue super knives:
http://global.rakuten.com/en/search?pf=&pt=&f=0&fs=0&vm=2&sm=0&st=&tl=0&k=青スーパー+両刃


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## TheDispossessed

Also, Moritaka Hamono now has a store on Rakuten through which you can buy direct with free shipping, should one feel like taking the risk..


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## Ruso

What risk are you referring to?


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## chinacats

Ruso said:


> What risk are you referring to?



Buying a Moritaka...major overgrind potential.


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## labor of love

there doesnt appear to be a machi gap in these suisin inox honyakis...
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/houcho/item/h0su1270/


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## chinacats

labor of love said:


> there doesnt appear to be a machi gap in these suisin inox honyakis...
> http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/houcho/item/h0su1270/



Loved the description..."This drunkenness feeling INOX fried Japanese beef sword 270mm (belonging to saya)" :rofl2:


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## perneto

Not sure how trustworthy the picture is though. The handle looks round or D-shaped, but the description says it's hexagonal.


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## labor of love

i believe the ferrule is octogon on top and rounded on bottom.


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## GlassEye

perneto said:


> Not sure how trustworthy the picture is though. The handle looks round or D-shaped, but the description says it's hexagonal.



The description also claims it is fried.


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## labor of love

GlassEye said:


> The description also claims it is fried.



deep fried inox steel. its a "heat treat" secret.


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## chinacats

labor of love said:


> deep fried inox steel. its a "heat treat" secret.



:lol2:


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## ryann

I have acquired some vocabulary in lurking around too many japanese knife shops, and am sharing some it here:

Brands:
&#27491;&#26412;&#32207;&#26412;&#24215;&#12288;- Masamoto Souhonten (Kyoto store)
&#31689;&#22320;&#27491;&#26412; - Tsukiji Masamoto (Tokyo)
&#22586;&#23389;&#34892; - Sakai Takayuki
&#24544;&#25151; - Tadafusa
&#37204;&#24515; - Suisin
&#37325;&#25151; - Shigefusa
&#12511;&#12477;&#12494; - Misono
&#26377;&#27425; - Aritsugu
&#31689;&#22320;&#26377;&#27425; - Tsukiji Aritsugu (Tokyo)


Type of knife:
&#27915;&#20986;&#20995; - western deba
&#29275;&#20992; - gyuto
&#31563;&#24341; - sujihiki
&#12410;&#12486;&#12451;&#12540; petty
&#26611;&#20995; - yanagiba
&#34180;&#20995; - usuba
&#37772;&#22411;&#34180;&#20995; - kamagata usuba
&#20986;&#20995; - deba
&#20999;&#20184;&#12288;- kiritsuke

&#30333; - white
&#38738; - blue

&#21253;&#19969; - kitchen knife
&#20995;&#29289; - knife warez

Also there are of course varying levels of quality from each brand.
From Sakai Takayuki I've seen:
&#38686; Kasumitogi
&#26412;&#38686; Hongasumi
Tsukiji Aritsugu:
&#21029;&#25171; Betsuuchi? Betsuda? 
&#29305;&#35069; Tokusei

Hopefully I've helped someone look around Rakuten or google for various doses of knife porn & there isn't already a list of these words... If the list generates interest I will add more but with this you can browse quite a few knives, eg.

copy pasting &#22586;&#23389;&#34892; &#26611;&#20995; &#30333; should bring up yanagiba from Sakai Takayuki with some kind of white steel (a "&#20108;" or "2" in the description will probably mean white#2)
If you're in english and you want to decrypt some of the description, click on the top right corner (i'm talking about Rakuten btw) and select &#26085;&#26412;&#35486; as the language


Ryan


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## Chutotoro

Thanks for the translations, it helps alot on rakuten  I just made my first order there, so im a bit nervous right now ^^ I hope tenso is good lol. 

I found a shop called subaru that had lots of Masamotos, and i think it may be the only shop that has the SW-series in stock. 

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/subaru/c/0000001167/
http://search.rakuten.co.jp/search/...-id=s_search&l2-id=shop_header_search&x=-1274


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## chefcomesback

Thanks a lot Ryan


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## Chutotoro

I just found out that it was 2 months waiting time for Masamoto Sw. It felt too good to be true that they had them in stock...


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## JCHine

Thanks Ryan for sharing your work, greatly appreciated. 

This week ordered a couple of unbranded 180mm white steel usuba from Houcho and will post pictures when they arrive. Any preferences for here or "show us your latest knife" thread?


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## perneto

Reviving this thread because I found a new Rakuten shop:

http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/matsuohamono/

It seems to be a maker selling directly; the brand is Matsuo. They have some nice looking stuff.


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## Soccerman

Thank you , your information is very helpful


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## gic

As I said in another post, I was able to make much better use of Amazon and Japan once II did the following: I first used google to translate "chef's knife" into Japanese (it came out as &#29275;&#20992 , then I plugged it into the search box on Rakuten global and also on Amazon japan, magic ensued.

It now strikes me that if we had a post that had the Japanese for things we might all be looking for on Amazon and Japan and Rakuten, it might prove useful. To start offf, here are some I have used in some of my more recent searches (no guarantees they are right but they gave good search  )

Gyuto = &#29275;&#20992; 
Misono = &#12511;&#12477;&#12494;
Naniwa = &#12490;&#12491;&#12527;&#30740;&#30952;&#24037;&#26989;
Masahiro &#27491;&#24195;

It would be awesome if people could add other words they have used for searches on these sites..

For example, what's the Kanji to search for a suji, a yanigiba, or a paring knife or for specific makers like Shigefusa .


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## berko

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/13897-Rakuten-finds/page2?highlight=rakuten post #14


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## berko

&#20013;&#21326;&#21253;&#19969; = cleaver
&#20013;&#33775;&#21253;&#19969; = chinese cleaver/chukabocho?


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## gic

berko link was great, admins can we put together a sticky post for this info??


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## wind88

&#37325;&#25151;&#20316; &#29275;&#20992; = Shigefusa Gyuto

&#38686; = Kasumi
&#38203;&#22320;= Kitaeji


&#38134;&#39321;= Ginga (Ashi Hamono)


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## yinro

Here are a few more. Second the sticky idea. Dave & admins, I would be happy to help consolidating all the helpful contributions from the past.

&#26412;&#38686; = honkasumi
&#26412;&#28988; = honyaki
&#37723;&#36896; = forged

&#38738;&#32025; = aogami
&#30333;&#32025; = shirogami
&#31881;&#26411;&#12495;&#12452;&#12473;&#37628; = powdered high speed steel
&#12473;&#12454;&#12455;&#12540;&#12487;&#12531;&#37628; = swedish steel
&#12473;&#12486;&#12531;&#12524;&#12473;&#37628; = stainless steel

&#29255;&#20995; &#65309; single bevel
&#20001;&#20995; = double bevel


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## ecchef

This combined thread is now a sticky.


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## One snake

Hasaki = &#20995;&#20808;


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## Dave Martell

ecchef said:


> This combined thread is now a sticky.



:doublethumbsup:


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## clsm1955

Can anyone post the kanji for left handed? As in"left handed yanagiba" or "left handed single bevel"? Many thanks!


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## cclin

clsm1955 said:


> Can anyone post the kanji for left handed? As in"left handed yanagiba" or "left handed single bevel"? Many thanks!



"left handed"=&#24038;&#29992;
"yanagiba"=&#26611;&#20995;&#24214;&#19969; or &#26611;&#20995;
"single bevel"=&#29255;&#20995;


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## clsm1955

cclin said:


> "left handed"=&#24038;&#29992;
> "yanagiba"=&#26611;&#20995;&#24214;&#19969; or &#26611;&#20995;
> "single bevel"=&#29255;&#20995;



Thank you! That is very helpful!


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## wind88

I think left handed = &#24038;&#21033;&#12365;


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## cclin

wind88 said:


> I think left handed = &#24038;&#21033;&#12365;


LOL, similar meaning. 
left handed = &#24038;&#21033;&#12365;
*****(for lefty use)=*****(&#24038;&#29992


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## chen1995

What risk are you referring to?


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## pavel

Here's another rakuten address-

http://global.rakuten/en/store/chokuhan/

should get you to zakuri knives


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## Bitter

pavel said:


> Here's another rakuten address-
> 
> http://global.rakuten/en/store/chokuhan/
> 
> should get you to zakuri knives



Link not working for me.


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## TurboScooter

Bitter said:


> Link not working for me.



It's missing the .com in the URL. http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/chokuhan/


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## pavel

My apologies for posting a non-functioning address. The one posted worked (and still does) on my mac. The .com addition is probably the correction needed but that needs to be established by working on a computer on which the first version wouldnt run. The store name chokuhan came from the site where I found the zakuris but when accessing the store site its labeled agrifarmKOCHI. The two names are interchangeable as well as I can tell and running the address with the store name switched works. Adding kitchen knives to the address (...store/agrifarm-kochi/kitchen knives/ ) also works and places you in the store directory just as if you had done the steps to get there via the sidebar. Adding this produced a strange result. The URL changed to- agrifarmKOCHI| Rakuten Global Market:kitchen knives and this also seems to work as an address.

Pavel


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## perneto

Does someone know the kanji for Tanaka?


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## jmgray

&#35488;&#36020; &#20316; I beleive


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## erezj

Ohira please,
And maybe Ohira Renge

Thanks

Great list


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## preizzo

This is great


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## banjo1071

&#24035;&#26495;=Nest plate=Suita


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## gic

Anyone tell me the kanji for Kato so I can search on Rakuten? TIA


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## wind88

gic said:


> Anyone tell me the kanji for Kato so I can search on Rakuten? TIA



&#34276;&#21407;&#33391;&#26126;


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## TheCaptain

There is more than one Kato out there though...


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## tripleq

TheCaptain said:


> There is more than one Kato out there though...



Indeed...


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## woodworkcan

I have used this lexicon extensively for shopping on Yahoo Japan auctions and Japan stores.

http://www.zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/usetype/all/index.shtml


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## SeattleBen

Thanks for this info.


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## beanbag

Thread needs to be updated. Can we even shop on Rakuten anymore?


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## chiffonodd

beanbag said:


> Thread needs to be updated. Can we even shop on Rakuten anymore?



I think they stopped doing global distribution a few years ago


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## Atso_J

clsm1955 said:


> Can anyone post the kanji for left handed? As in"left handed yanagiba" or "left handed single bevel"? Many thanks!



Reply to old post, but I can only see numbers and such in place of kanji in the original reply so thought maybe I'll recompile the basics for that.

Left 左 hand 手

Add hiragana の for some extra magic

Deba 出刃, yanagiba 柳刃

knife 包丁

左手の　出刃包丁 gave spot on results with Google image search.

Replace deba with your knife of choice.


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