Why Sushi Chefs Pay Up to $20K for These Knives | WSJ Coveted

  Рет қаралды 142,815

WSJ. Style

WSJ. Style

Күн бұрын

Japanese sushi knives have been meticulously crafted for over 600 years. Traditional knives are made of high carbon steel to be able to slice or cut sashimi without breaking the fibers. But one knifemaker, Yusuke Sawada, questions if the tradition has reached its peak.
WSJ explains how Nenohi Cutlery used materials no one thought would work and found cult status as knife artisans among top sushi chefs.
Chapters:
0:00 Japanese sushi knives
1:48 Materials
3:03 Forging and heat treatment
4:34 Shaping
7:14 Personal preference
8:39 Ace craftsmen dwindling
#Knife #Sushi #WSJ

Пікірлер: 130
@thomastessier4529
@thomastessier4529 12 күн бұрын
I absolutely love to watch true craftsmen no matter what their discipline is.
@azuanatoya
@azuanatoya 12 күн бұрын
thats the cleanest knife maker workshop i have ever seen.
@scouse_sherpa
@scouse_sherpa 10 күн бұрын
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Japanese in my life, they know how to drag a job out
@EcomCarl
@EcomCarl 5 сағат бұрын
Fascinating exploration of the evolving craftsmanship in sushi knife making! Sawada innovative approach with stainless steel challenges traditional norms and could reshape the future of culinary tools. 🔪
@Marc-uy7hp
@Marc-uy7hp 15 күн бұрын
This is an outstanding video and WSJ should keep working with this crew and make more content just like this. Great job!
@skyak4493
@skyak4493 14 күн бұрын
Counterpoint -this is just high quality pictures and talk that don’t result in an answer to the question. Therefore it is common click bait. The implication is that someone of high skill spends a large amount of time to make one knife and many failures. Who is the judge of this skill? Only the guy whose name is on the company. An example of the videos failure -it never mentions that the structure of the knife business is exactly like the premium sushi chefs that buy the knives. Apprenticeship for most of their life in the hope one day they will be deemed worthy by the expert. The $20k knife is the perfect prop for the show.
@bernardcaille
@bernardcaille 15 күн бұрын
incredible skills
@ciscomontano
@ciscomontano 16 күн бұрын
Very interesting!
@lil----lil
@lil----lil 12 күн бұрын
This video got you a subscription. Love stuff like this. People who they take their craft to extreme bordering on insanity. I approve!
@ChrisKartes
@ChrisKartes 3 күн бұрын
Powder steels may give you more control over the blade during the forging process. I've never seen a sushi knife made of Magnacut steel.
@JohnFrumFromAmerica
@JohnFrumFromAmerica 3 күн бұрын
Powder steels don't need forging by the knife maker just forming the shape and heat treatment. A good powder steel will be significantly better than any forged knife.
@NOLAART
@NOLAART Күн бұрын
Anybody who pays $20K for a kitchen knife is demented!
@Lostin2024
@Lostin2024 14 күн бұрын
Awesome 😎
@lancemillward1912
@lancemillward1912 10 күн бұрын
Would love to visit this company
@MemeScreen
@MemeScreen 13 күн бұрын
There should be tests done with these knives to show that they are actually better, I kind of find it hard to believe that these knives are that much better than knives of made of comparable steel. If it’s just about status like Gucci or whatever that’s fine, but don’t hum up as some sort of super fantastic thing you can’t find anywhere else.
@NikoMoraKamu
@NikoMoraKamu 9 күн бұрын
as a knivemaker i can tell you are totally right the only special thing about them is their marketing team able to sell the same knife that all the japanese crafters do fo 10000% the price of it it's the japanese fever , people love them and think that everything that come from there can cut cannon barrels and slice the air and we the bladesmiths of other parts of the world are just rude medieval bearded guys who cant make proper tools :)
@JohnFrumFromAmerica
@JohnFrumFromAmerica 3 күн бұрын
It would lose to a modern powder steel in every measure.
@saschamarr495
@saschamarr495 2 күн бұрын
Absolutely, there is so much going on in the knifemaking / metallurgy world right now anyway... and most people are not informed about any of it@@JohnFrumFromAmerica
@Serenity_Dee
@Serenity_Dee 12 күн бұрын
Can whoever does the closed caption subtitles make sure that they're not obscuring the burned-in subtitles?
@mrwest5552
@mrwest5552 12 күн бұрын
outstanding viewing content here.
@biore0330
@biore0330 19 сағат бұрын
Respect 🫡
@philrobson7976
@philrobson7976 17 сағат бұрын
Does it make the food taste better?
@miked.9364
@miked.9364 12 күн бұрын
Well for a number of reasons: 1. Prestige 2. Charge more for sushi 3. Prestige 4. Charge more for sushi
@Serenity_Dee
@Serenity_Dee 12 күн бұрын
Interesting how many people are opposed to craftspeople being paid fairly for their time and effort and skill.
@tshirtnjeans4829
@tshirtnjeans4829 4 күн бұрын
$20K for knives is beyond stupid
@JASinIL2006
@JASinIL2006 13 күн бұрын
Many, many better Japanese knife makers than Nenohi, whose knives are middle of the road.
@muhammedk470
@muhammedk470 10 күн бұрын
With super steels in the market, these will loose relevance
@1014p
@1014p 2 күн бұрын
Indeed, many high end metal blends showing great results.
@Theoryofcatsndogs
@Theoryofcatsndogs 14 күн бұрын
Sounds like my $400 Japanese knife is just trash...
@MemeScreen
@MemeScreen 13 күн бұрын
The dude in the video straight up admitted he’s only buying these knives because of who’s making them. Not due to the quality at all. 😂😂😂
@hitnorcal
@hitnorcal 14 күн бұрын
I'm confused. I was under the impression that the high price from Japanese knives came from the tamhagane process and then the polishing stages. Industrializing the process that makes this uniquely Japanese (handmade with Kaizen attitude) seem like it should have a lower price. Thinking about this as a westerner looking in doesn't help. If it is Japanese chefs that are driving demand that is different than western chefs who tend to covet the older ways and hours invested from the sword making aspects.
@pablopeu
@pablopeu 14 күн бұрын
Same, if you start from steel sheet, nothing wrong with that, then you have a datasheet for it, saying that the heat treatment protocol is "trade secret" implies that you are better at metallurgy than the team of metallurgists at the steel factory that makes the steel...
@MemeScreen
@MemeScreen 13 күн бұрын
Agreed. Oddly enough, the Japanese needed to use the tamhagane due to them having some of the lowest quality steel at that time in order to get all the impurities out. They’re known for having great craftsman, which is often confused with having great steels. That may be different now but back then it wasn’t the case.
@duran9664
@duran9664 14 күн бұрын
👇The most important question is👇 Are these knives precise enough to avoid irritating the sensitive skin while shaving privet parts in one run?🤔
@kyzor-sosay6087
@kyzor-sosay6087 11 күн бұрын
😂😂
@ThomasRonnberg
@ThomasRonnberg 8 күн бұрын
No water cooling on the grinders? hmm.
@SkunkworksProps
@SkunkworksProps 6 күн бұрын
There was an awful lot of marketing hogwash in this video but fair play to him for getting people to buy it, that's business.
@1014p
@1014p 2 күн бұрын
Cutting from sheet steel, tapping a few times power hammer, a heat treat montage, and expected grind and polish. Yes, marketing is what this is. I dont see any of the lore of Japanese blade smithing here at all. My understanding of the forging process, hype. Time to put this blade against say 20 other smiths knowing its purpose and shape design. Blind test them with identical handles or its material. Plus lets snap one of these in half and see its grain structure verse the highest placed knife.
@VinegarAndSaltedFries
@VinegarAndSaltedFries 14 күн бұрын
Give me Nakagawa, Tanaka, Ikeda, Togashi or Doi any day. These are way overpriced. Those first four are the best in Sakai.
@VinegarAndSaltedFries
@VinegarAndSaltedFries 14 күн бұрын
Rich and deep history with those other and the brands they work for. Give them your support.
@RzTheTree
@RzTheTree 14 күн бұрын
For 20k$ you can get multiple knives from each of these and still have money left over
@VinegarAndSaltedFries
@VinegarAndSaltedFries 14 күн бұрын
@@RzTheTree I genuinely think you could get every kind of Japanese Knife shape and absolutely stunning versions for 20k. You could legitimately get 9-10 Honyaki Aogami Number 1 and deck out every single staff member at your sushi restaurant.
@chefknivesenthusiast
@chefknivesenthusiast 12 күн бұрын
Add Shigefusa and Kiyoshi Kato to that list 👌🏽
@VinegarAndSaltedFries
@VinegarAndSaltedFries 12 күн бұрын
@@chefknivesenthusiast ohhh absolutely perhaps a bit tougher to find currently though.
@shawnfeile
@shawnfeile 5 күн бұрын
Stainless takes your edge taking and edge holding abilities down compared to carbon steel. Knowing firsthand what it takes to forge a knife and charging no where near what they want, there is no way in this world I would pay a 10th of that for a cut out blank with a little grinding on it.
@fredrikcarlen3212
@fredrikcarlen3212 4 күн бұрын
Pretty much all stainless steels retain an edge better than stainless, some do it for several times longer. There is no objective advantage to high carbon steels other than them being easier to make and thus cheaper.
@josevalderrama7243
@josevalderrama7243 10 күн бұрын
I prefer my carbon steel knives 😊
@lutomson3496
@lutomson3496 15 күн бұрын
I have a small knife from these guys its ok may be a bit over rated and a bit tough to keep an edge on
@yoeyzee
@yoeyzee 6 күн бұрын
I said it before and I'll say it again. Japanese people always find a way to make something normal expensive for no reason.
@LikeBOOMCA
@LikeBOOMCA 8 күн бұрын
Very well produced, but this make Nenohi seem like the non plus ultra of japanese knives, which they aren't. They are way overpriced and for a fraction of the price you get way better knives.
@brianbassett4379
@brianbassett4379 7 күн бұрын
Because the few of them that do spend that much are truly stupid.
@youtubeattacker
@youtubeattacker 11 күн бұрын
Everything in Japan overpriced. Everything in India underpriced.
@1014p
@1014p 2 күн бұрын
So all he is doing to make these. Is cut its shape and a few hits with a power hammer, a lighter one. Then a tempering oven and air cool. I imagine given its stainless peobably a water quench at this point which would be odd. I call this out as hype. If your want a knife that does not drag its down to polish and grain structure. He gave away enough here a smith could come up with the heat treat orocess. With stainless steal there are sources for the information. Overly hard edge might not be the goal here. No there are many budding smiths in the eorld who are coached by very good smiths. Talent is there and they draw out the bilet by forging, not cutting to a template.
@El_Jim
@El_Jim 6 күн бұрын
Lol, the only thing this video shows is why sushi chefs SHOULDN'T be paying up to $20K for these knives. They should've focused more on the making of those handles because the making of the blade is certainly not it.
@bruceyung70
@bruceyung70 5 күн бұрын
Did you watch the video? They said the most expensive one was 20,000 bucks. Rest are probably like 100 bucks. Chill
@fredrikcarlen3212
@fredrikcarlen3212 4 күн бұрын
@@bruceyung70 They make 100-200 a year in total and employ several people. The do not cost 100 bucks each...
@Pyramid789
@Pyramid789 14 күн бұрын
They talk as if its rare yokai magic or something. Its impressive craftsmanship, but they exaggerated as if their lives were dependent on it.
@lawrenceragnarok1186
@lawrenceragnarok1186 13 күн бұрын
No I think they just are showing how much effort they put into the fit and finish of their knives. I'll never own one of these nenohi cause it's not my style but I love the Western handle nenox knives.
@01Sigsauer
@01Sigsauer 11 күн бұрын
Yeah... everything in Japan seemes to be art. Even cutting the fish for sushi is an art.
@earvinquero2037
@earvinquero2037 11 күн бұрын
Never pay for that price. Theres a lot out there. Way better.
@ballistic350
@ballistic350 5 күн бұрын
Everything in japan is hand crafted with passion, .. japan is the best country to live in...
@walv7952
@walv7952 2 күн бұрын
working in japan is really stressful and tough though
@ballistic350
@ballistic350 2 күн бұрын
@walv7952 I rather live in japan over the states where I'm at.. too much crimes all around.
@JohnFrumFromAmerica
@JohnFrumFromAmerica 3 күн бұрын
Knife performance drops off drops off after the $100 mark. After $1000 there is probably no amount of money/effort that can make the knife better. This is just bragging rights and stupidity.
@deenyc1049
@deenyc1049 12 күн бұрын
These knives are razor sharp because you have to sharpen them all the time. Chefs want them because they’re a status symbol.
@VinegarAndSaltedFries
@VinegarAndSaltedFries 12 күн бұрын
As someone who has cooked with many Different types of knives, great sharp knives make prep more enjoyable. Without question. But you do need to have some kitchen skills for that enjoyment to be felt. And if you don’t believe me Go out and try it yourself.
@chalinp4886
@chalinp4886 13 күн бұрын
That price won’t make you a better 👨‍🍳
@arunkottolli
@arunkottolli 10 күн бұрын
Japanese knives are made with expensive Japanese labour, hence expensive!
@bryanx590
@bryanx590 12 күн бұрын
Makes no sense to hammer forge on plate steel they are using. Best knives are drop forge knives. I would experiment with flint or obsidian materials since that is the sharpest materials on earth.
@TheScrawnyLumberjack
@TheScrawnyLumberjack 9 күн бұрын
Drop forged knives are usually garbage. Best knives would be made from PM steels
@adrianenache6794
@adrianenache6794 14 күн бұрын
My 10$ knife keeps me well fed
@reviewchan9806
@reviewchan9806 14 күн бұрын
Kind of ironic considering historically Japanese metalwork was terrible and brittle. Europeans perfected and experimented with better refinement techniques for strengthening and protecting steel since the middle ages whereas Japan was quite stubborn with metalwork all the way up to WWII and it showed.
@MemeScreen
@MemeScreen 13 күн бұрын
Yep, the steel quality was horrible. That’s why they had to pound it so much. And considering they don’t want to use stainless, maybe some of that stubbornness is still there.
@wybuchowyukomendant
@wybuchowyukomendant 7 күн бұрын
So basically there is no reason, they just love expensive things because they think it`s better, gotchu. Same with the fruits, japanese will pay hundreds of $ to get "perfect" fruit...
@joshmajor8662
@joshmajor8662 5 күн бұрын
They’re gorgeous but insanely overpriced!!! Haha 😂 do your research people, you’ll see.
@aroundandround
@aroundandround 14 күн бұрын
Expensive knives are so overrated. Many cheap knives can be made very sharp as well. What matters is how how long a knife stays sharp without having to resharpen it, but you’d rarely see that discussed because even expensive knives have to be re-sharpened as well. Cheap knives can simply be thrown and re-purchased and you’d still come out ahead pricewise over a lifetime.
@einundsiebenziger5488
@einundsiebenziger5488 13 күн бұрын
But always throwing stuff away and buying new stuff instead of maintaining it is a waste of ressources, degrades quality of life and makes everything more expensive in the long run. You permanently have to mine new raw material, ship it, use energy ro shape it into products and deliver those to customers and that all puts stress on the environment and infrastructure. To clean them up and maintain them respectively requires huge amounts of money that will be collected via taxes and fees. So paying an appropriate price for decent quality once is the much better method to "come out ahead pricewise over a lifetime"!
@aroundandround
@aroundandround 13 күн бұрын
@@einundsiebenziger5488 But that’s not my economics.
@ChefB0ii-li8vo
@ChefB0ii-li8vo 15 күн бұрын
There's plenty of handmade stainless steel from other knife makers for a much better price, this is just brand hype
@angryspacerasta1398
@angryspacerasta1398 13 күн бұрын
You watched that whole video and you come to the conclusion that price is a key factor in the buying decision? Back to Walmart, kid. Adults are speaking.
@gjm1203
@gjm1203 13 күн бұрын
おしゃっる通りです
@ichchecksnicht
@ichchecksnicht 13 күн бұрын
@@angryspacerasta1398 That comment is beyond dumb
@pyalot
@pyalot 13 күн бұрын
The hole „carbon steel is sharper“ is because stainless is harder to sharpen. Thankfully this is the 21st century and cheap/high quality diamond sharpening stones and lapping compounds are available now.
@jwt1035
@jwt1035 13 күн бұрын
It’s probably more supply demand based on individual reputation than hype. I have several Japanese knives, and I can tell you the difference is apparent as soon as you put it in your hand.
@rolle6588
@rolle6588 8 күн бұрын
2 dollar knife and the salmon fish will still taste like a salmon.
@gjm1203
@gjm1203 13 күн бұрын
Trainee usually have zero to none salary and subjected to abuse, and those guys work as a trainee for at least 10 years? Sounds like a Black enterprise to me
@darylfortney8081
@darylfortney8081 15 күн бұрын
take my money
@MemeScreen
@MemeScreen 13 күн бұрын
Please don’t 😂
@SuperZbros
@SuperZbros 5 күн бұрын
Because people are stupid, plain and simple
@kurtbrisch5776
@kurtbrisch5776 12 күн бұрын
As a chef of 25+ years I would never waste money on one of these knives.
@josevalderrama7243
@josevalderrama7243 10 күн бұрын
As a chef for 25 years what knifes do you recommend?
@kurtbrisch5776
@kurtbrisch5776 10 күн бұрын
@@josevalderrama7243 Knives from Wusthof, Henkel or Global are all more than sufficient. I personally like the way Wusthof fits my hand.
@widipuji972
@widipuji972 8 күн бұрын
Shibata kotetsu, Shigeki Tanaka, konosuke, hatsukokoro and thx me later
@kurtbrisch5776
@kurtbrisch5776 8 күн бұрын
@@widipuji972 no thanks, never held a japanese knife that fit my hand right.
@jamesm3268
@jamesm3268 8 күн бұрын
So much hilarious opinions. Trying to convince customers who have no idea that somehow forging mono stainless makes it more uniform in grain structure? The steel comes perfect from the factory you and your power hammer and coal forge ain't making it better... The amount of gold flaking Japanese knife makers add to their products these days is hilarious. You're plasma cutting out the shapes and stock removing it with a few light taps on the hammer for the video. 😅
@patrickvolk7031
@patrickvolk7031 3 күн бұрын
Not an enthusiast, let alone an expert (I was a cook for 7 years), but cutting out of a sheet and grinding it down seems a bit... mass productive? Looking at different sheet stainless steels? Slicer machines exist, paper cutters, sharp enough to remove your fingernail. Stainless steel can be plenty sharp.
@Ken-nv2hl
@Ken-nv2hl 14 күн бұрын
What a scam artist. He spends all that time heat treating the steel then ruins it by dry grinding the edge, this process anneals the edge losing its hardness. Wet grinding its the only way to do it, all professional knife makers have whetstones for wet grinding to keep the edge at a constant temperature while sharping to retain the metallic structure.
@pectenmaximus231
@pectenmaximus231 14 күн бұрын
The belt stage looks to only be polishing. Just after wet sharpening is shown.
@paradox_1729
@paradox_1729 13 күн бұрын
wet sharpening happened before what you saw.
@ichchecksnicht
@ichchecksnicht 13 күн бұрын
I thought exactly the same xD
@einundsiebenziger5488
@einundsiebenziger5488 13 күн бұрын
... wet grinding is* the only way.
@TheScrawnyLumberjack
@TheScrawnyLumberjack 9 күн бұрын
Came here to say what BS if you’re chasing the maximum a knife can be you’re not forging it on power hammer and saying that it helps to distribute the elements. You’re going to is a PM steel and do pure stock removal. They boast about accuracy or grinding but they’re still grinding by hand introducing human error and supporting the knife during grinding with a chunk of wood.
@AlexLYH
@AlexLYH 13 күн бұрын
That's kinda dumb.
@mujadedhani1132
@mujadedhani1132 14 күн бұрын
if japanese product is little better quality than China 🇨🇳 or normal product, than prices will be 100's times higher😠but quality is not that good overrated products as usual by Japan 🇯🇵
@ichchecksnicht
@ichchecksnicht 13 күн бұрын
You are absolutely right, BUT some people are willing to pay more for something that is handmade even though the objective quality might be worse. I myself have 2 japanese gyutos, each costs around 280$. Objectively speaking, these prices make no sense, but if you value something handmade and you know that a lot of time and work has gone into it, you are happy to pay more than the pure raw material costs or what other products of the same quality cost. And also they aren't merely a kitchen tool, they are also a piece of art and art is always hard to put a price tag on :)
@mujadedhani1132
@mujadedhani1132 13 күн бұрын
@@ichchecksnicht absolutely right 💯.. look Grand seiko watches quality is little better than normal seiko but prices are more than Rolex.. if there was swiss industry, i often buy swiss tools, they produce highest quality products, but price is not so much high that deserves to be.. because they make high quality with machine & automatic manufacturing process..but these swiss tools are many times better than japanese or US products..
@einundsiebenziger5488
@einundsiebenziger5488 13 күн бұрын
If Japanese* products* are better quality than Chinese* (...) then* prices will be 100* times higher. This particular product is overhyped, but Japan does produce decent quality products at prices not higher than those of Chinese-made products.
@ichchecksnicht
@ichchecksnicht 13 күн бұрын
@@einundsiebenziger5488 das war jetzt deine zeit wert irgendeine random person auf youtube zu korrigieren?
@einundsiebenziger5488
@einundsiebenziger5488 12 күн бұрын
@@ichchecksnicht War es denn deine Zeit wert? Hast du nicht derselben "zufälligen Person" geantwortet?
@9aguirre
@9aguirre 5 күн бұрын
To take three years to make a tool to cut fish is pure fetish. So too to pay them $20,000.
Why This Cult ‘$40 Pencil’ Almost Went Extinct | WSJ Coveted
8:12
Do I Need This $500 Kitchen Knife In My Life?
10:52
About To Eat
Рет қаралды 1,6 МЛН
ДЕНЬ РОЖДЕНИЯ БАБУШКИ #shorts
00:19
Паша Осадчий
Рет қаралды 4,7 МЛН
¡Puaj! No comas piruleta sucia, usa un gadget 😱 #herramienta
00:30
JOON Spanish
Рет қаралды 22 МЛН
ELE QUEBROU A TAÇA DE FUTEBOL
00:45
Matheus Kriwat
Рет қаралды 20 МЛН
How Japanese Masters Turn Sand Into Swords
25:27
Veritasium
Рет қаралды 9 МЛН
How To Use Every Japanese Knife | Method Mastery | Epicurious
24:15
Making a Knife Out of Drill Shavings?! | Forged in Fire (Season 7)
8:47
Carbon or Stainless Steel? A Buyers Guide For Japanese Knives
13:05
I Need Your Help..
0:33
Stokes Twins
Рет қаралды 139 МЛН
Мужчина узнал о изм*не жены🥺
1:00
Kino_sh
Рет қаралды 8 МЛН
СТОМАТОЛОГ СЪЕЛ ЗУБ?😳😅  #shorts
0:11
Зубландия
Рет қаралды 5 МЛН