Samurai Kitchen Knives

[Ford Hallam]

If you fancy a beautiful hand forged, by a genuine Japanese swordsmith no less, kitchen knife you had better hurry. I have a feeling this offering will not last long.

 

Tara Asano is a good friend of mine and a pretty talented smith but like many contemporary smiths in Japan surviving solely on making Nihonto is getting increasingly difficult. Taro and his wife Rika are creratively pro-active though and seem continually to be evolving the business so that the fire in Taro's forge doesn't go out.

 

 

Here's a link to Taro's facebook page.

[Windy]

Stunning....on my wish list.

[ROKUJURO]

ASANO TARO's website:

http://asanokajiya.com

His art name as swordsmith is FUSATARO.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Nice Web-site, Jean, but I don't see any place to order...& I don't do Facebook. US$267 seems like a really low price, but I don't want to set up a Facebook account just to get one. Any ideas?

 

Ken

 

[Jean]

I am going to pm you the details Ken

[ROKUJURO]

TARO SAN's E-Mail address is:

 

浅野 太郎 <asanokajiya@me.com>

[smicha6551]

Jean, would you be so good as to PM the ordering details to me as well? I'm on Facebook but I don't see a payment link.

[uwe]

Jean,

I don't like Facebook! May I have the details also?

[Brian]

http://asanokajiya.com/en#contact
Scroll down...it loads the form to fill in to contact him. At the top, on page load, you can click EN for English

[Jean]

Hi Guys,

 

Here is the way to order one:

 

asanokajiya@me.com is his email address.

 

Please chose the type of knife.

1, santoku (push cut) 20cm blade

2, gyuto (slice cut , meat) 21cm blade

 

Send him a message, he will send you a paypal proforma invoice, you settle it and he sends it before end of month.

 

Total price: 32160¥

[Gordon Sanders]

Done!!! Thanks. I love great knives

[Ken-Hawaii]

Just another week or so before he'll ship! Can't wait to get my Santoku!

 

Is there any special paperwork required, similar to Nihonto, to get them out of the country?

Ken

 

[Ken-Hawaii]

Has anyone received their knife as yet? No sign of mine.

 

Ken

 

[Jean]

No sign of mine either

[Ken-Hawaii]

Jean & anyone else who ordered a kitchen knife, I just got this message from Taro:

 

Dear Ken,

 

Thank you for your inquiry.

It is good time!

I'm just making your kitchen knife.

I can send it tomorrow.

Please wait about a week until it arrive.

 

Taro

ASANOKAJIYA

 

I'll post photos when it arrives, & we'll be using the knife to slice up some ahi (tuna) for its first use.

 

Ken

 

[Gordon Sanders]

Hmm. Mine is different reply. I also asked about a signature into the knife like I have from other knives I have bought in Japan

 

“Thank you for your message.

We are making your kitchen knife.

It is almost done, final step.

But we can't cut into signing to the knife.

I'm sorry for it.

And Taro has to go to Canada to demonstrate for 1 month, we can send yours the beginning of August.

Please wait for a while.”

[Jean]

Mine will be shipped beginning of August upon my request. I am off, on holidays, in July with little access to the Web.

[Ken-Hawaii]

I've always believed in the "squeaky-wheel theorem," Gordon...squeak loudly, & squeak first! Of course Taro may be making & sending them based on when we made our payments; I sent mine in early May (5/5) when I requested an invoice from him.

 

I never thought of asking Taro to sign his creation - great idea! - but I guess it wouldn't have mattered. Before this one, the only knives I've bought from Japan were when I was IN Japan, & I don't communicate well enough to request a mei.

 

Does anyone else find it interesting that a tosho is traveling to the Americas to demonstrate? Piers, could Taro lead a group of them? 

 

Ken

 

[Jean]

BTW, Taro has demonstrated forging technics twice in France in the citadelle of Besançon. I was there last time with my friend Thierry Bernard and Jean C.

[Greg F]

What type of oil would you use for one of these?

Greg

[Stephen]

id use cooking oil

[Gordon Sanders]

IKEA has a nice food grade mineral oil

[Jean]

Easily understable link while in French which gives you all the needed infos

 

http://www.couteauxduchef.com/content/49-astuces-enlever-rouille-couteaux-acier

[SwordGuyJoe]

The site seems pretty stable while I was on it. What part was "understable" Jean? The French part?

[Ken-Hawaii]

Ho omaopopo mai iaʻu, e hoouna aku oe i kekahi mea i loko o Hawaiian ka huli hou 'oe e olelo aku nei ia kana mea maopopo, Jean!

 

(Remind me to send you something in Hawaiian the next time you say that something is understandable, Jean!)

 

Ken

 

[Wayben]

LOL!!!

[Jean]

Not the French part Joe, but the Japanese products for sale for kitchen knives caring ROFLMAO!!!!

[SwordGuyJoe]

LOL, you've gotten me so many times on my fast typing and non-existent proof reading, that I just had to say something.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Okay, my knife just arrived, & it's a beauty! Taro has really done some excellent work, & wrapped the knife up in a beautiful box, too, although not wood. Nice midare hamon, although it's fairly small, & not easy to photograph.

 

Here's a photo, although we're heading out for a pizza dinner. so we'll cut with it later:

 

Ken

 

[Gordon Sanders]

Already rusting? Need to get some uchiko and choji oil on it :-)