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What’s the difference between Japanese knives and Western knives?: The feature of Japanese knives.

Oct. 28th 2009 (Wed.)
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The shortest description about Japanese knives is,“They are made of hard steel and soft iron by forge welding.”

Western knives are made of only one steel. On the other hand, the edge of Japanese knives is steel, while the other part is made of soft iron.

If steel gets harder, it becomes less elastic. Or, when it gets elastic, it becomes less hard.

Today, in spite of drastic advance in technological innovation, we can’t get a steel which has both hardness and elasticity yet.

Not to break or twist and to remain sharp ……There is a discrepancy.

The process of forge welding.

However, old Japanese people solved the discrepancy with their technique. Their solution is the forge welding of some materials which have different hardnesses.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the reason for the appreciation of Japanese knives is the technique of forge welding.

The technique also brings an advantage for hardening of Japanese knives.

Japanese knives are cooled rapidly with water for hardening. Using this method, the knives become very sharp. In the hardening process, Japanese craftsmen chill the knives at temperatures of over 800 degrees Celsius with water.

But, the knives made of only one steel crack when they chilled in that way.

So, old Japanese people solved this problem by forge welding of steel and soft iron. Soft iron acts as a cushion of steel in the hardening process and it prevents cracking.