Knife Gift Etiquette

A kitchen knife is a cutting implement, and the term "cut" carries negative meanings in many cultures since it might indicate a harmful tool or severing a good relationship or even cutting away good luck. Therefore, giving knives as gifts on celebratory occasions was sometimes avoided.

However, this kind of belief has faded over recent years. Rather, kitchen knives are more socially valued as a useful tool that someone can use for a long time, so giving them as gifts is increasingly being appreciated by the recipient. Also, as a gift, a kitchen knife can have positive connotations as it can represent a stance like "a way to cut off evil and misfortune and open a way towards the future".

Of course, there are still some people who value customs and do not like knives as a gift, so it is necessary to be considerate to the recipient when gifting a knife (or anything, really). In many countries, there are certain customs to consider when giving a knife as a gift to someone to make the gift more thoughtful, or at least reduce the chance of an unintentionally awkward situation. For example, in Japan people often attach a very hard item like a Go stone with the knife. This infers that the knife "cannot cut your good luck or our relationship". Sometimes people also attach a five yen coin because five yen, read in Japanese as go-en can also mean "luck and relationship". This infers that you wish good luck and strong relationships to be with the recipient. Furthermore, the recipient may give a five yen coin back to the giftgiver to wish them good luck and strong relationships in return. It is also customary in many countries, such as France and Thailand, to return a coin in this manner to the giver (this even happens with our store staff sometimes where a coin is passed on). By doing that, the knife is deemed to be offered as a product rather than as a gift, therefore the recipient will not experience bad luck as in effect they have "bought it". You can include a five yen coin with your knife gift to make this procedure easier for the recipient too.

That said despite all this, writing a message may be the best way to tell your feeling and send good wishes the recipient. A card with your own words conveys the best feelings.

Various other types of blades are also used in ceremonies today. To name a few, tape scissors are used at opening events, axes are used for boat launching celebrations, and wedding and ceremonial knives used at weddings and sacred ceremonies respectively. We actually still carry ceremonial knives in our store, so please take a look at and appreciate their unique design when you visit us next.

With this in mind, it's better to think of knives as a tool used not to sever ties, but to cut away disaster and misfortune as a new chapter in life begins. Knives are an excellent gift to commemorate and celebrate someone turning a new page in their life journey, and is an item that can stick with them for lifetimes. We believe that giving a knife to "open the way towards the future" is a very wonderful occasion, and as long as you know the original meaning of the practice (and perhaps explain it to the recipient) it is not a bad omen in anyway.

Now that you understand the original meaning behind knives as gifts, you can see it as giving a very practical, lifelong good-luck charm. Because of this historical meaning, knives are often given as gifts for very auspicious occasions such as weddings, as housewarming celebratory gifts or any other time you want to wish someone a happy turning point in their life. Also, as it's a tool that can be used on a daily basis, it's suitable to express a more daily style gratitude during occasions such as Mother's or Father's Day, a birthday or other events of the like. We see many, many knives being given as Mother's Day gifts for example, and many companies make special packages for the occasion - ourselves included.

Of course, you don't need a celebratory reason to give someone a gift. You might simply want to say thanks or that you're thinking of them with a present. Perhaps you've taken a trip to Japan (or our store in Osaka) and want to bring some knives back home as souvenirs. There're all kinds of reasons to give someone a present. And of course, it's always okay to get a present for yourself too!

When it comes time to gift someone a knife though, it is always a good idea to explain why as the symbolism behind giftgiving such an item can be a little obscure at times. Add that five yen coin and a small hard item and you also then have a story to tell them. Plus, to show you care consider getting the knife engraved - we do that for free.

Most importantly though, which knife should you give? With so many kinds, what expresses your gratitude the best? Let's dive into that.

The list we've provided below isn't exhaustive, and your needs may differ. It's okay to get knives that aren't in these lists as well! Ultimately, get what you think is best for the recipient, but if you're stuck or unsure what to choose, we've got you covered below. Or you can always ask us.

A knife for home use

If you want to give a kitchen knife to someone who perhaps isn't a knife enthusiast and just want to provide something useful for their daily lives, a santoku is the perfect choice. Santoku knives are the most commonly used knife in the home, plus they're amazing to have as spare knives in case a main knife can't be used due to damage. It's very acceptable and normal to have several santoku whether as main knives or as spares. Often in a Japanese kitchen, it's the first knife someone buys.

Among those, stainless steel knives are the best choice we think because they are easy to handle and maintain.

In our stainless steel range, the SWORD-FV10 Santoku is highly rated by professional chefs, and is a knife designed to use for generations. It's also one of the most popular items people buy in store.

However, if you're going to give a knife to someone who is more particular and caring about their sharpening a carbon steel santoku would work best instead. Below we have two suggestions - one for stainless steel, and the other for carbon steel.

A knife for a cook or chef

If the recipient is a cook or chef, they're likely more familiar with knives. There are many chefs that love knives, so don't hold back when it comes to giving them a knife as a gift. It might be ideal to give them a knife that helps them aim towards and reach the chef they are trying to be. You can always ask us if you're unsure which knife a particular chef might need, but we've written a few situations that are more common down below.

A knife for someone aspiring to be a chef of Japanese cuisine

For this, we have two different styles of knife we recommend. Both are for fish, but handle different purposes.

Yanagiba knife

Yanagiba knives are very special and important for Japanese cuisine practitioners. We generally recommend if you're going to give one of these to give one that is slightly more elaborate or higher in quality so that the recipient can aim higher in their culinary journey. These knives are ones they will use every day and ideally for a long time, so a knife that supports that vision is ideal.

Deba Knife

Handling and processing fish is a basic requirement for anyone cooking Japanese cuisine. Giving a deba can be a good reminder to aspiring or professional chefs to always remember and improve their fundamental skills. Additionally, a good deba knife makes their preparation work significantly easier to perform.

A knife for a cook or chef specialising in Western cuisine

We recommend a gyuto knife for this purpose. It's a knife that has a large variety of purposes so it suits well as a gift. Like a santoku, it's also very normal to have several of these, in this case also due to their varying lengths on top of their frequent use. If they have one of these already, consider a sujihiki slicing knife instead for something a little more specific that is great for carving or slicing up meats for serving.