Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 25

Thread: Tokyo - where to purchase good chisels and knives

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    866

    Tokyo - where to purchase good chisels and knives

    My wife will be in Tokyo for about 10 days for work. I would like to get a few good chisels and couple chef knives. I have several Koyamaichi chisels (oire nomi) that I like and looking to get chisels that are even better. Have no experience with Japanese knives. Looking for something better than Wusthof and Cutco. As for price range; around $100-$150 per chisel or per knife, could go a little higher for the knives.

    Big question is where to purchase them. I searched prior posts on this, Tokyu Hands come up, but from what I understand they carry lower quality (equivalent of big box store items here). Any suggestions on where my wife can go to purchase these items in or around Tokyo.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Fairbanks AK
    Posts
    1,566
    If you have a local Sur le Table or Williams Sonoma you might try the Global kitchen knives. If we were Lord of the Ring characters I am an orc and I love my Cutco, my elfen wife likes Sabbatier. It is a situation where we are both correct.

    From the small amount of shopping I have done the really good bladesmiths in Japan are backordered for years and don't need a showroom.

    Good luck and best wishes.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Peoria, IL
    Posts
    4,443
    I think it's pretty well known that it's easier to buy Japanese woodworking tools in the United States than in Japan. Especially if they get confiscated at the airport!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Silicon Valley, CA
    Posts
    1,048
    Can't speak to chisels or shopping in Tokyo. But given your location and interested in Japanese knives, you should check out Japanese Knife Imports. They know and work with different smiths for knives they stock. The range is from high end knives down to more affordable knives they spec and sell under their own brand. Specifically, in your price range, they have their Gesshin Stainless 210mm Wa-Gyuto. It is a classic Gyuto profile in a modern steel that is easy to use and maintain. From the reviews, I'm not the only one to feel it's a perfect intro to Japanese chef's knives.

    Good luck with Tokyo stores, I'll be watching this thread in case I ever make it that way.

  5. #5
    This is not what you asked, but it may be useful. If your wife doesn't find the chisels you want "in person" while in Tokyo, you could place an order with Stan Covington and have them shipped here. Stan is very knowledgeable and contributed many excellent threads here. You can search in the archives for examples. He's at covingtonandsons.com. He has a good reputation as a seller too.

    I have no affiliation with them - just passing on a possible mail order source.
    Last edited by Frederick Skelly; 07-22-2022 at 6:38 AM.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    Brooklyn NY
    Posts
    259
    There’s a department store called Tokyo Hands in Shinjuku. I believe the second floor was the hardware store floor. I don’t think it is the nicest stuff ever, but there will be a huge selection of Japanese woodworking tools you won’t see here. It would probably even be worth asking if they knew of a more specialized woodworking store. You could also try calling Hida or Suzuki Tool(both based in Berkeley). They might point you in the right direction. Emailing someone at Kez would probably be fruitful as well.
    If your wife is anything like mine, she will enjoy the 8 or 9 floors of shopping.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,973
    I have a Scientist friend that traveled to Japan a bunch of times coordinating their space program. I had him do some shopping for me, but we found the prices to be the same there as the same thing was sold for here. After a couple of stops, I told him not to bother.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SF Bay Area
    Posts
    330
    I've not been to Tokyo, but look at https://kurashigetools.com/ (Japanese website- use Google translate or something similar) enjoys a very fine reputation. The shop is in Tokyo. -Howard

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Houston TX
    Posts
    548
    Frank, Williams Sonoma handles several brands of Japanese knives. My niece’s husband swears by his Shun knives.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    866
    Sounds like I should just purchase them here in the US. I heard about Stan before. I will probably try that route.
    Thanks for all the suggestions.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Tokyo, Japan
    Posts
    885
    I live in Japan, and I own a bunch of cheapish Japanese tools from places like Tokyu Hands and even the various Home Centers (Japanese BORGs) here.

    A few thoughts and observations:
    - Many of the cheapish Japanese tools, by which I mean, lower end, are still quite decent quality--just avoid the really silly stuff such as replaceable blade planes and chisels (!!!!!)
    - Tokyu Hands actually carries some nice Japanese tools and cutlery sometimes, especially the store in Shibuya, and to some degree, the one in Shinjuku also. I've seen hand forged Nata, carving tools, and even planes and chisels a few times, especially in the Shibuya store.
    - These stores can be extremely fun to just browse and look around in.

    I often buy vintage Japanese tools on Yahoo Auctions (Japan's version of ebay, basically) for cheap.

    If you are looking for really nice tools and want to be assured of quality, though, I'd contact Stan Covington. One day, I'll get him to point me to some really nice tools, but my budget (along with the free time that is actually available to commit to my hobby to make it a worthwhile investment) will not allow that for some time yet to come.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Tokyo, Japan
    Posts
    885
    Sorry, I wanted to add...

    I've been to one extremely nice cutlery shop which sold everything from kitchen knives to razors, nata, and Jnats...

    Everything they sold was extremely high quality, and with price tags to match. They seemed to be professional sharpeners (togi-shi) and I watched and spoke with the guy sharpening knives at the time, and asked a few questions about jnats and sharpening.

    I just don't remember where it was! It was in a more traditional part of town with many old shops, but not overtly touristy. If I remember, I'll let you know. There are definitely nice shops worth your time though. I'd like to find more of these myself.

  13. #13

    Tokyo Handmade Woodworking Tools

    Many years ago, I purchased several handmade chisels and saws from this small woodworking store.
    It can be puzzle to find (as everything is in Tokyo)
    4th generation owner, 100+ year old store...definitely an experience.
    Can be found on google maps.

    Inoue Hamono
    3 Chome-17-8 Tatekawa, Sumida city, Tokyo 130-0023
    81 3-3631-4264

  14. #14
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    So Cal
    Posts
    866
    Luke, Rick, thanks for the suggestions. I will have my wife take a chance with these options. At least Tokyu Hands should be an easy shopping experience. The things is she won’t be able to tell mediocre from good when it comes to chisels or other woodworking tools. So, we will go with price and hope higher price means better quality.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    827
    You could try to contact them in advance. In some instances fanciful sets are marketed to western buyers and not necessarily what typical Japanese cabinet maker uses.
    Last edited by Rafael Herrera; 07-28-2022 at 9:50 AM. Reason: removed possibly inaccurate info

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •