Sakai Knife

While we were in Japan before Christmas we took the chance to buy a couple of slightly higher quality items (well at least more than 100yen) that usually we don't have the chance to buy. In a narrow old shopping arcade near Namba, Doguya-suji, full of shops selling restaurant and kitchen equipment, we bought a traditional Santoku hōchō (3 uses) knife made in Sakai city. This city (now swallowed up by Osaka proper) was famous for samurai swords back in the day (that day being 500 years ago) and famous now for kitchen knives more than anything else. Anyway, a local knife here would be better than any heavy and expensive block of knives from elsewhere. And really, why do you need lots of kitchen knives when one sharp one will do the trick. It's really light and super sharp (though I haven't tried dropping a hair onto it to see if it splits in two) and I've accidentally cut up sponges just by trying to wash it. Unfortunately even after little usage now it's covered in stains thanks to the British hard water.