Knife Care « Unique Japan

Using a knife from Unique Japan is unlike any other cutting experience you’ve had in a kitchen. It’s shear beauty, remarkable sharpness, and lightweight make preparing food enjoyable and inspiring.

Below are some key tips in order to maintaining your investment. All knife users must read the instructions below as these knives are extremely sharp and great care must be used at all times.

Using your knives

NEVER attempt to cut through frozen or hard or solid foods or bones (unless you are using the strong Deba-bocho).
If you should slice into something frozen or solid, remove carefully using a slicing (forward and backward) motion.
NEVER ever twist the knife side to side. Doing so will bend your edge and possibly chip it leaving a chunk of knife in the solid matter.
NEVER use these knifes for any purpose other than for what they were intended, (i.e., the preparation of food). Under no circumstances should they be used as a screwdriver, crowbar or wire cutter.
NEVER cut on a marble, stone, tile or any glass surface.

Washing

It is recommended that you hand wash your Unique Japan (UJ) knives using a mild dishwashing liquid and water.
After washing, rinse with water and dry thoroughly with a towel.
NEVER put knives in the dishwasher. Doing so could damage or chip the sharp edges should they come into contact with objects in the dishwasher.
NEVER use harsh detergents or cleansers containing chlorine bleach.
NEVER soak before cleaning. In particular, avoid soaking in harsh cleaning solutions and any solution containing bleach.

Sharpening

Each UJ knife produced in Takefu city in Japan is individually hand-sharpened for maximum enduring performance. UJ knives need to be sharpened from time to time to maintain their keen edge (but not before the first six months of usage). UJ recommends professionally sharpening your knives once or twice a year using either a whetstone or ceramic stone.

Using Unique Japan’s Kyocera/Fiskars Kitchen Knife Roll Sharpener and the Suehiro 3-Type Roll Sharpener provides a practical means to maintain both single and double-edge knives. Simply slide the edge of the kitchen knife into the guided groove back and forth about ten times. The ceramic wheel ensures the blade is sharpened at the correct angle.

Storage

UJ knives are very sharp and should be carefully stored to avoid accidents and kept out of the reach of small children. Using knife blocks, magnetic wall racks, knife docks or knife cases are all practical and safe solutions.

The Damascus Santoku-bocho has tailor-made black wooden sheaths to protect the knives. All 3-Piece Knife Sets (apart from the Kuromori 3-Piece Set) come with beautiful sturdy wood boxes.

Legal Notice

Although great care has been taken to ensure that each Unique Japan product goes toward enhancing the beauty and mood of your home, office and kitchen, Unique Japan cannot be held responsible should any untoward event occur from the use or misuse of any product in its collection.