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Suwada Blog

Japanese Petty kitchen knife with exposed blade and wooden handle

Should You Oil a Carbon-Steel Knife?
Carbon-steel knives do not always need oil after every use, but a thin food-safe blade oil is useful for long storage, humid conditions and infrequent use.

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Japanese Gyuto chef's knife with an SLD semi-stainless core and stainless cladding

SLD Steel Guide
SLD began as a Japanese cold-work tool steel and is used by some knife makers for hard, wear-resistant blades with better corrosion resistance than simple carbon steel.

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Japanese Petty knife with a Shirogami #2 carbon-steel edge and black blade finish

Shirogami Steel Guide
Shirogami, or White Paper steel, is a family of very pure Japanese carbon steels. Learn what the grades mean, how they sharpen and how to care for them.

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Japanese Petty knife with an Aogami #2 core and stainless-steel cladding

Aogami Steel Guide
Aogami, or Blue Paper steel, is a family of Japanese carbon-alloy blade steels. Learn how Aogami #1, #2 and Super differ in concept, care and use.

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Santoku kitchen knife with a layered Damascus-pattern blade

VG10 Steel Guide
VG10 is a Japanese stainless blade steel known for corrosion resistance, high hardness and practical edge retention. Here is what the specification means in real kitchen use.

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Japanese Santoku kitchen knife with a double-bevel cutting edge

Left-Handed vs Right-Handed Japanese Knives: What to Check
Most symmetrical double-bevel Japanese knives work for either hand, while traditional single-bevel knives are handed. Learn what left-handed buyers should check.

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Gyuto kitchen knife with a Japanese-style wooden handle

Wa Handle vs Western Handle on Japanese Knives
Wa handles are typically lighter and more blade-forward; Western handles are usually heavier and familiar. Neither is universally better.

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Gyuto kitchen knife with a hammered Tsuchime blade finish and wooden handle

Japanese Knife Finishes: Nashiji, Kurouchi, Tsuchime & Migaki
Nashiji, Kurouchi, Tsuchime and Migaki are blade-finish terms. Learn what they mean and how finish differs from steel and geometry.

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Japanese Santoku kitchen knife with the blade face and edge construction visible

Warikomi, San-Mai and Cladding Explained
Warikomi, san-mai and cladding describe how hard cutting steel can be combined with softer outer material in Japanese knife construction.

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Japanese Gyuto kitchen knife with a hardened steel cutting blade

What Does HRC Mean on a Knife?
HRC is Rockwell C hardness. It is useful information about a knife, but it is not a complete score for sharpness, toughness or quality.

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Kitchen knife blade being ground on a belt grinder in a Japanese workshop

Single Bevel vs Double Bevel Japanese Knives
Compare single- and double-bevel Japanese knives by geometry, handedness, cutting behaviour, sharpening and the knife types that commonly use each system.

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Natural leather strop used for final kitchen knife edge refinement

Honing vs Stropping vs Sharpening
Honing, stropping and sharpening are different maintenance steps. Learn what each does and which methods suit Japanese kitchen knives.

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