# When First I Held a Japanese Knife



## rstcso (Jul 2, 2021)

Until a few weeks ago, in my 60-plus years of life, I'd never held a Japanese knife. That changed while my wife and I were visiting our daughter and her family in Madison, WI. My son-in-law wanted to get his MAC knives sharpened and asked if I'd like to ride along, so I did. He took us to where he'd bought his knives, Wisconsin Cutlery. He presented his knives to the owner, Michelle, a self-proclaimed "Professional Enabler" (embroidered on her shirt below her name), and asked she give her opinion on how well he'd been taking care of them since buying from her. She verified he wanted her honest opinion, then proceeded to test the three knives, after which she reached for a ceramic honing rod and proceeded to hone each. A few seconds later, she pronounced them "sharp". Then she told him he needed to get one which he replied he had one and used it. She then dragged out of him he hadn't been cleaning it properly, so really wasn't doing anything other than making him think he was taking care of his knives.

After watching this and her earning my respect, I asked to see a "vegetable knife", to which she asked "What kind of vegetables?". Uh oh! It was now my turn! I blurted out "Tomato!" and she pulled out several Nakiris with different-looking blades and handles along with a couple other styles of knives, which is now all a blur. She told me to pick them up and see which ones felt good, explaining the difference between western-style, Wa, D, and I think a bunch of other things which went in one ear and out the other. I was very surprised as to the minimal weight of the Japanese blades compared to the Germans, which I've used all my life. A bigger shock was learning I liked the feel of the Wa handles.

One of the Nakiris with a Wa handle was very striking (lots of bling) and it felt like I was holding a stiff feather. She said this knife does a great job with vegetables and fine chopping of herbs, but not recommended for use on root vegetables. Ever the one to "play along" with a professional enabler, I asked her what she recommended for root vegetables, especially sweet potatoes, to which she pulled out a couple of knives that looked similar to the Germans I was used to, but lighter and more refined. She motioned toward the Messermeister Kawashima and pronounced "This is the knife I use at home. It cuts sweet potatoes like slicing through butter". She's good! I picked it up and it wasn't at all heavy like my old German friend, and wasn't near as thick-in-the-middle, either. So within minutes of her chastising my son-in-law for not properly caring for his honing rod, I was walking out with two new knives.

On the ride home, we stopped at a grocery store and picked up some sweet potatoes, which also gave me more time to think how to present them to my wife. Deciding honesty was the best policy, when we got to the house, I showed her the knives and reminded her how easily manipulated I am due to the years of which she has practiced this approach on me. I guess she felt sorry for me being such easy prey for a professional enabler, and didn't even give me "that look" when I told her how much I'd spent. Besides, it was our son-in-law's fault!

Kikuichi 175mm Nakiri:
















Messermeister Kawashima:


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## stringer (Jul 2, 2021)

Welcome aboard. You'll find plenty more enablers here.


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## rstcso (Jul 2, 2021)

Sakai Takayuki Guren 150mm Petty:









Had to return the gyuto.


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## tostadas (Jul 2, 2021)

Wasting no time, I see. Looks like you have a lot of new toys to enjoy.


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## rstcso (Jul 2, 2021)

Yes, but I have to be careful until the Boardsmith arrives in a few weeks. I read on the internet that "teak cutting boards may have particles of silica in the wood" and "is not a good choice as a cutting board for knives", so it must be true. Regardless, I'm going with that.


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## rstcso (Jul 2, 2021)

In case anyone's wondering how it performed on the sweet potatoes:


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