Honyaki Knives 本焼

Honyaki knives are made using the traditional Japanese method of forging using a single piece of high carbon steel, and going through differential treatment by applying clay or similar materials on the knife spine, so that the spine is tougher while the edge is harder after quenching. Oil quenching Honyaki (Abura-Honyaki) is more common than water quenching Honyaju (Mizu-Honyaki) as the latter requires even more skills and experience. Honyaki knives made of high carbon steel such as Shirogami #2 and Aogami #2 are very costly because of the extremely high level of skills required of the blacksmith. As a result, only a handful of blacksmiths make top-quality Honyaki knives.