Celebrating 23 years of KVG! SP h oAt o eVs s a O RY KYOTO y by Risa Sekiguchi Fine Purveyors of Japanese Knives and Kitchen Tools Aritsugu Of all the tools in the Japanese kitchen, the most important is the knife. Whether slicing fish for sashimi, butchering a chicken or making fine slices of negi, a good knife makes a world of difference. Savvy home cooks and professional chefs, from Kyoto and abroad, know that the best place to go is Aritsugu, located on the east end of Nishiki Market. © Hotaru Image Aritsugu has been supplying Kyotoites with fine, handmade knives and cooking utensils for 18 generations. The company was founded by Aritsugu Fujiwara, expert sword maker to the Imperial family, in 1560 when he branched out to kitchen knives and wood chisels for Buddhist sculptures. With the arrival of the Meiji period (1868-1912), the company expanded to quality steel and copper cooking pots and specialized tools of the Japanese kitchen. Inside the immaculate, finely crafted showroom, one is easily drawn to the gleaming displays of the copper pots. One then notices other smaller but no less skillfully crafted tools, such as handmade graters for daikon or wasabi, tiny mesh cages for roasting sesame seeds, and delicate cutters that make the delightful shapes that decorate fine kaiseki meals: Seasonal motifs such as sakura flowers for spring, and momiji leaves for autumn. But it is the display of hundreds of impossibly perfect knives that line the west wall of the shop that dominate the eye. Why so many? Well, wa-bocho (Japanese knives) are made in different shapes for specific purposes: Long yanagi-bocho for slicing sashimi in one fluid stroke, stout and sturdy debabocho for cutting fish and meat, and nakiribocho for vegetables. There are also different grades by type of steel. Lastly, since wabocho are sharpened on one side (not two, like Western knives) every type can be made for left- or right-handed people. It’s enough to make the casual visitor’s head spin. However, to address the changing tastes of Japanese cuisine, Aritsugu also makes excellent all-purpose knives that are honed on two sides, suitable for lefties or righties, washoku (Japanese cuisine) or yoshoku (western cuisine), and so forth. The only choices you must make are the size and grade. These knives are also very affordably priced, making them perfect gifts. If you decide to buy a knife, you’ll receive a lesson in knife care, which is no small matter, as you must properly clean the knife after each use, and sharpen it periodically to keep it in top form. Your purchase is engraved with your name, in Japanese or English, in a matter of minutes before your very eyes. Knives purchased as gifts are given a special stone go marble to symbolize that the knife could never cut your friendship. It is so refreshing, especially in this age of the mega-store, that such artistry, customer service and attention to detail is not only surviving, but thriving. This is not easy, as the method of making knives hasn’t changed for centuries and is extremely time-consuming. Iron must be repeatedly heated and then tempered in cold water. After being cut to size, it is honed to a perfect edge and the blade is planed with harder steel. Then, the knife is heated for one last time, coated in mud and plunged red-hot into cold water before being signed. Risa Sekiguchi is an artist, photographer, and founder of Savory Japan, a website dedicated to Japanese cuisine and culture. For more information on Japanese knives and knife techniques, visit Savory Japan: savoryjapan.com/learn/techniques/knives.html Each artisan can only make up to15 knives in a day. Understandably, this costs more than factory-made knives, but Aritsugu’s, even with daily use, can last for 20 years. Lifetime repairs of small nicks and a periodic resetting of the razor-sharp blade are included, free of charge, for local customers and long-term visitors alike. Kyoto’s residents are lucky to have such a treasured establishment in their city, though it is not rare to find other equally skilful artisans and craftspeople in their respective fields. Yes, Kyoto is one city that still honors its artisans. Let’s hope it stays that way, so that Aritsugu can thrive for another 450 years. Aritsugu is located on the north side of Nishiki, just west of Gokomachi (E-3, pg 13 map); Open: 9:00-17:30, closed Sun.; Tel: 075-221-1091; www.aritsugu.jp/ All kinds of cooking and kitchen tools are displayed in the shop Uniquely Japanese Katsura-muki knife technique by Haruji Ukai of Kinmata Haruji Ukai, head chef and proprietor of Kinmata ryokan, one of Kyoto’s finest Japanese inns, is a true master, and kindly demonstrates how to cut katsura-muki. Named after the gossamer fabric worn by aristocrats, katsura-muki is paper-thin, and a special knife is made for this purpose. Extremely difficult to master, young chefs often practice katsura-muki in their free time, spending their own money on vegetables to hone their skills. As beautiful as Haruji Ukai’s cuisine is to behold, his true skill is best tasted in person at Kinmata during a stay, or at the inn’s lovely restaurant (see their ad on pg 18). 1. The vegetable (in this case, daikon) is cut to the length of the knife and peeled. 2. Working smoothly, chef Ukai holds the bocho with his right hand, turning the daikon with his left. 3. The resulting sheet is paper thin and translucent, and when held up to the light, white squiggles resembling writing can be seen. 4. The sheets can be cut to lengths and then cut finely and plunged into cold water to make ken, the thread-like garnish typically seen under slices of sashimi. 5. The sheets can also be cut on the bias and rolled around a chopstick to make lovely spirals. 今月の Savory Kyoto は、創業1560年、450年に渡って愛される、有次の包丁の世界に迫ります。高度な技術が要求されるプロの料理人から家庭の主婦、そして外国人からも信頼の厚い包丁の種類は、用途に合わせて数十種類。網、菜箸、抜き型など、いろいろな形の調理器具も、見ているだけで楽しいほど。京の食文化を支えているお店のひとつです。 Kyoto Visitor’s Guide, March 2010 10