The production of knives flourished in Sakai due to the rich history of traditional metal processing techniques. Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images Eighty-five-year-old Etsuro Ikegami wipes the ...

The santoku is a style of kitchen knife that originated in Japan. The name translates to “three uses” or “three virtues” in Japanese, which might refer to meat, fish, and vegetables or to chopping, ...

A good chef’s knife is a central player in your kitchen lineup. Most chefs will tell you that you should have a Western blade for methodical chopping and a Japanese-style knife for more delicate prep.

Eighty-five-year-old Etsuro Ikegami wipes the wet blade across my fingers like I’m taking part in an initiation ceremony. His gaze never leaves my face. He wants to know if I feel the burr on the edge ...