Essentially Japanese Cooking & Cuisine - Hideo Dekura : Houcho - Japanese Knife

   The Japanese knife evolved from the samurai sword. It is single ground - only one side has a cutting edge - unlike Western knives, which has double- sided blades. Originally the Japanese knife was made from obsidian or quartz by striking, grinding and polishing. Eventually sword craftsmen developed a form of steel called tamahagane, which is only produced in western Japan in a high-heat smelter or tatara from iron dust and pure charcoal. Tamahagane is extremely expensive and difficult to forge. It was first used in the Nara Era to produce sharp, strong swords. It is the ultimate sword-making material and now used for knives as well.
   In the Heian Era, cooking methods developed to suit the various new knives. In the Kamakura Era, shojin ryori (temple cuisine) spread advanced cooking method around the nation along with knives quite similar to those we have today.
   In the Meiji Era, Western knives were introduced. After World War II, new types of knives were introduced which, although still in the single blade Japanese style, were made from stainless steel which does not rust and so became very popular.

A MASTER OF SWORD-SMITHING IN SEKI, SHIGA PREFECTURE. 

   My friend in Seki city, Mr Ozeki, introduced me to Mr Kato, a man whose family have been sword-smiths in Seki since the Muromachi Era. He is a 25th generation master of Kanefusa Fujiwara.
   During the civic wars in the capital of Kamakura, a group of sword-smith escaped from the disturbances to search for a new place with rich resources for sword making. They settled in Seki and invented their own refining methods. Gradually Seki became very famous for tosho (sword-smiths) and swords. However, once the era of civic war was over, the need for swords declined and many sword-smiths started to use their skills to make domestic knives or tools.
   Today, you need a special licence to keep a katana (samurai sword). Katana were not only used as weapons, they were also kept as a symbol of a samurai's soul and fighting power. For the Imperial family or at the temple, a katana is a symbol of authority.
   To make a katana, a tosho needs secret skills, which involve using his whole body to judge materials and timing. At the workshop in Seki, I watched Master Fujiwara in action as he forged burning steel without hesitation and sparks flew up around him. It was such a strong experience I felt there was strong power residing in that workshop.