Fine Purveyors of Japanese Knives and Kitchen Tools

Celebrating 23 years of KVG!
SP h oAt o eVs s a O
RY KYOTO
y by Risa Sekiguchi
Fine Purveyors of Japanese Knives and Kitchen Tools
Aritsugu
Of all the tools in the Japanese kitchen, the
most important is the knife. Whether slicing
fish for sashimi, butchering a chicken or making fine slices of negi, a good knife makes a
world of difference. Savvy home cooks and
professional chefs, from Kyoto and abroad,
know that the best place to go is Aritsugu,
located on the east end of Nishiki Market.
© Hotaru Image
Aritsugu has been supplying Kyotoites with
fine, handmade knives and cooking utensils
for 18 generations. The company was
founded by Aritsugu Fujiwara, expert sword
maker to the Imperial family, in 1560 when
he branched out to kitchen knives and wood
chisels for Buddhist sculptures. With the
arrival of the Meiji period (1868-1912), the
company expanded to quality steel and copper cooking pots and specialized tools of the
Japanese kitchen.
Inside the immaculate, finely crafted showroom, one is easily drawn to the gleaming
displays of the copper pots. One then
notices other smaller but no less skillfully
crafted tools, such as handmade graters for
daikon or wasabi, tiny mesh cages for roasting sesame seeds, and delicate cutters that
make the delightful shapes that decorate fine
kaiseki meals: Seasonal motifs such as sakura flowers for spring, and momiji leaves for
autumn.
But it is the display of hundreds of impossibly perfect knives that line the west wall of
the shop that dominate the eye. Why so
many? Well, wa-bocho (Japanese knives)
are made in different shapes for specific purposes: Long yanagi-bocho for slicing sashimi
in one fluid stroke, stout and sturdy debabocho for cutting fish and meat, and nakiribocho for vegetables. There are also different grades by type of steel. Lastly, since wabocho are sharpened on one side (not two,
like Western knives) every type can be made
for left- or right-handed people. It’s enough
to make the casual visitor’s head spin.
However, to address the changing tastes of
Japanese cuisine, Aritsugu also makes excellent all-purpose knives that are honed on two
sides, suitable for lefties or righties, washoku
(Japanese cuisine) or yoshoku (western cuisine), and so forth. The only choices you
must make are the size and grade. These
knives are also very affordably priced, making them perfect gifts.
If you decide to buy a knife, you’ll receive a
lesson in knife care, which is no small matter, as you must properly clean the knife
after each use, and sharpen it periodically to
keep it in top form. Your purchase is
engraved with your name, in Japanese or
English, in a matter of minutes before your
very eyes. Knives purchased as gifts are
given a special stone go marble to symbolize
that the knife could never cut your friendship. It is so refreshing, especially in this age
of the mega-store, that such artistry, customer service and attention to detail is not
only surviving, but thriving.
This is not easy, as the method of making
knives hasn’t changed for centuries and is
extremely time-consuming. Iron must be
repeatedly heated and then tempered in cold
water. After being cut to size, it is honed to
a perfect edge and the blade is planed with
harder steel. Then, the knife is heated for
one last time, coated in mud and plunged
red-hot into cold water before being signed.
Risa Sekiguchi is an artist, photographer, and
founder of Savory Japan, a website dedicated to Japanese cuisine
and culture. For more information on Japanese
knives and knife techniques, visit Savory Japan:
savoryjapan.com/learn/techniques/knives.html
Each artisan can only make up to15 knives in
a day.
Understandably, this costs more than factory-made knives, but Aritsugu’s, even with
daily use, can last for 20 years. Lifetime
repairs of small nicks and a periodic resetting
of the razor-sharp blade are included, free of
charge, for local customers and long-term
visitors alike.
Kyoto’s residents are lucky to have such a
treasured establishment in their city, though
it is not rare to find other equally skilful artisans and craftspeople in their respective
fields. Yes, Kyoto is one city that still honors
its artisans. Let’s hope it stays that way, so
that Aritsugu can thrive for another 450
years.
Aritsugu is located on the north side of
Nishiki, just west of Gokomachi (E-3, pg
13 map); Open: 9:00-17:30, closed Sun.;
Tel: 075-221-1091; www.aritsugu.jp/
All kinds of cooking and kitchen tools are displayed in the shop
Uniquely Japanese
Katsura-muki knife technique by Haruji Ukai of Kinmata
Haruji Ukai, head chef and proprietor of Kinmata ryokan, one of Kyoto’s finest Japanese
inns, is a true master, and kindly demonstrates how to cut katsura-muki. Named
after the gossamer fabric worn by aristocrats, katsura-muki is paper-thin, and a special knife is made for this purpose. Extremely difficult to master, young chefs often practice katsura-muki in their free time, spending
their own money on vegetables to hone their
skills.
As beautiful as Haruji Ukai’s cuisine is to
behold, his true skill is best tasted in person
at Kinmata during a stay, or at the inn’s lovely restaurant (see their ad on pg 18).
1. The vegetable (in this case, daikon) is cut
to the length of the knife and peeled.
2. Working smoothly, chef Ukai holds the
bocho with his right hand, turning the
daikon with his left.
3. The resulting sheet is paper thin and
translucent, and when held up to the light,
white squiggles resembling writing can be
seen.
4. The sheets can be cut to lengths and then
cut finely and plunged into cold water to
make ken, the thread-like garnish typically
seen under slices of sashimi.
5. The sheets can also be cut on the bias and
rolled around a chopstick to make lovely
spirals.
今月の Savory Kyoto は、創業1560年、450年に渡って愛される、
有次の包丁の世界に迫ります。高度な技術が要求されるプロの料理
人から家庭の主婦、そして外国人からも信頼の厚い包丁の種類は、用
途に合わせて数十種類。網、菜箸、抜き型など、いろいろな形の調理
器具も、見ているだけで楽しいほど。京の食文化を支えているお店の
ひとつです。
Kyoto Visitor’s Guide, March 2010
10