Care guides for Japanese knives can read like instructions for a museum piece. In a Japanese home the routine is shorter, and it depends on the knife: a good one gets a little attention, a cheap one gets very little.

Washing: it depends on the knife

So the dishwasher question has a practical answer. If the knife was inexpensive and the handle is plastic or resin, plenty of Japanese cooks put it in. If you paid for a good knife, especially with a wooden handle, wash it by hand and dry it before putting it away.

Where the knife lives

Many Japanese kitchens have a knife holder built into the inside of the door below the sink. It is convenient, but it is also the dampest cupboard in the kitchen.

Rust is rarer than you think

Carbon steel is a different story, and it needs drying straight after use. It is also rare in Japanese homes: see carbon or stainless.

How edges really get chipped

The lesson is simple: a thin Japanese blade is for cutting, not for hacking. For bones, cut around them or use a heavier knife.

Throwing a knife away

Small chips can be sharpened out at home or by a sharpening service. Read how Japan sharpens for where people take their knives.

From the catalog Stainless santoku that are easy to look after
  1. Ginza Steel Japan Kurenai Santoku 170mm 170 mm Molybdenum stainless Care: Low JapanChefKnife.com
  2. Kazan Ginsan Migaki Santoku 170mm 170 mm Ginsan (Silver #3) HRC 61 Care: Low Chubo Knives
  3. Misono 440 Santoku 180mm 180 mm Molybdenum stainless HRC 58–59 Care: Low Chubo Knives, Hocho Knife
  4. Miyabi 4000 FCV2 KOYA Santoku 180mm 180 mm Stainless (other) HRC 61 Care: Low JapanChefKnife.com

Picked by rule, not by payment: in stock, one knife per maker, ranked by beginner score and then by how many specs the store states. Compare all 39 stainless steel santoku knives →

Questions people ask

Can a Japanese knife go in the dishwasher?

Cheap stainless knives often do in Japan, including our editor's everyday one. A good knife, especially one with a wooden handle, is washed by hand and dried.

Will a stainless Japanese knife rust?

Rarely, in a home kitchen. Our editor has not seen it happen unless a knife is left somewhere damp or outside for a long time.

How do I avoid chipping the edge?

Don't chop down hard on bones. Our editor's chipped knife came from hitting fish and meat bones from above, rather than cutting.

How do you throw away a knife in Japan?

Wrap the blade in newspaper and put it out following your local council's sorting rules.

How we made this

Knife counts, lengths and shortlists come from our catalog: 6 stores that ship to the US and UK, checked on 23 Oct 2026. Notes from our editor, Shota Ando, come from recorded conversations, dated on each note. Text is drafted with AI from those two sources and reviewed before it is published.