Tsunehisa: quality Japanese knives across the board

Most knife brands come from one place. Tsunehisa works differently. Rather than a single forge or blacksmith, they source from makers across Japan's best knife-making regions: Sakai, Tosa and Seki. Each region has its own traditions and its own strengths. Tsunehisa pulls the best of all three together under one name.

The name means permanence, which is a fair summary of what the brand is about.

Three regions, three traditions

Sakai, just outside Osaka, is one of the oldest knife-making centres in Japan. It's particularly well regarded for single-bevel knives and carbon steels, and the work that comes out of there tends to be precise and carefully finished.

Tosa, in Kōchi Prefecture, is where you find knives with more character. The finish is less refined than Sakai but the steel is serious. It's a region known for hard-working blades in steels like Ginsan and Aogami Super, and it's where the Tsukasa Shiro Kuro knives we carry come from too.

Seki, in Gifu Prefecture, is Japan's largest knife-producing city. It sits somewhere between the two, known for consistent, well-made knives across a wide range of steels including V-Gold stainless.

The steels

Across the Tsunehisa range you'll find Aogami Super, Shirogami, Ginsan, SLD, VG10 and more. That covers a lot of ground, from reactive carbon steels that sharpen quickly and develop a patina over time, through to stainless options that are more straightforward to look after. There's something in the range for most experience levels and most kitchens.

What stays consistent is the quality. The fit, the grind and the edge out of the box are all done properly. These are not budget knives with good packaging.

What we carry

We stock a selection of Tsunehisa knives at Chef & a Knife across different steels and styles. If you're not sure where to start or want help working out which knife suits what you cook, get in touch. It's the kind of question we're happy to spend time on.