We all love Japanese and German made knives. But what about a mixture of the two styles. Miyabi Cutlery employes the tradition of knife making in Japan with high end German engineering. The best of both worlds unite to create a exceptional brand. So let’s take a look at the Miyabi Company Profile and a few of the Miyabi product lines.
Miyabi Knives Company Profile
In Japanese the word Miyabi means “refinement” and “elegance”. And this is exactly what you should expect from a Miyabi knife. The company is unique in the way it combines Japanese tradition in knife making with German high quality engineering. Thus most lines of knives have mixed characteristics between western and Japanese styles.
The MIyabi brand is owned by the well known German knife producer Zwilling J.A. Henckels which intends to bring forward, for the international market, knives which suit the most pretentious user. The knives are 100% authentic as they are all made in Seki, Japan, this way maintaining the Japanese craftsmanship and tradition of making knives. But Zwilling has improved the engineering of production mainly in their patented hardening processes to improve upon a already great technique.
As mentioned before all Miyabi cutlery is made in Seki, Japan. This region is the birthplace of the well known Japanese Katana sword and now the capital of knife making in Japan. There are two places in the world where you find the best knives on the market, Japan and Germany. And more specific, Seki Japan and Solingen Germany. Thus the merger of two brands from these two regions, with hundreds of years of experience, will naturally produce some of the best knives on the market.
The history of knife making in Seki Japan can be traced back almost 800 years ago. The legend has it that a swordsmith named Motoshige camped in the city of Seki where he found all best natural elements required for sword making. The region is very rich in iron deposits, coal, wood, sand and clean water. Everything you need to create the perfect blade. Thus a sword making tradition continued in this region until around the 1800s. In this period the Japanese Government banned the carrying of weapons thus the region has readjusted to making cutlery.
In 2004 Zwilling J.A. Henckels acquired a leading manufacturer of Japanese knives from Seki and established the Miyabi brand. Today, this merger has produced some of the best knives on the market by combining hundreds of years of tradition and craftsmanship with demanding German engineering.
Miyabi Cutlery Product Line
The Miyabi cutlery product line includes a wide range of knives, from mostly traditional Japanese in character to a mixture of Western and Japanese styles. Thus I will further show the characteristics of the major Miyabi product lines and what features are mixed in to create this great cutlery.
Miyabi Birchwood
The Miyabi Birchwood series is regarded as one of the best lines of products that Miyabi produces. This line is mostly Japanese in character as the steel used to the way it is produced and its design. The steel is called SG2 and it is a type of high carbon stainless steel. It is mostly used in high end Japanese cutlery on laminated knives with a beautiful Damascus pattern. Exactly like in the Birchwood series of knives.
The handle is traditionally Japanese in design. In Japanese knives you find two basic types of handles. The ortogonal and the D-shaped handle. For the Birchwood series Miyabi has used the D-shaped handle made out of Birchwood. And completed by the beautiful, matching mosaic pin in the middle, plus stainless steel bolster and end cap with logo.
The hardening process takes this blade to the next level. In the production of this knife line Zwilling has used its registered patent of hardening steel called CRYODUR. This process involves the heating of the blades in special ovens to a specific temperature and then cooled down before the blades are frozen to -321 Fahrenheit. This will enable the blade to have awesome edge retention while still being flexible. The edge of the Birchwood line is tested at 63 HRC which is very high on the rockwell scale.
Miyabi Fusion
The Miyabi Fusion line combines western ergonomics, Japanese blade types and super steel in order to create cutlery containing the best of both worlds. The steel used in the making of the Artisan line is called VG10 super steel. This is a very special steel alloy that mixes a specific quantity of Carbon, Molybednum, Chromium, Vanadium and Cobalt. But what does this mean? Basically you end up with a very strong rust and corrosion resistant steel. Perfect for knife making.
The handle, this time is Western in style. The western handle ergonomics are much praised by chef’s around the world thus Miyabi has implemented it in their knives. It is a squared but rounded at the edges, triple riveted handle. The material used is POM which stands for Polyoxymethylene. This material is great for knife handles as it is very strong and does not react to water in any way. Compared to a wooden handle, Polyoxymethylene does not degrade when scratched and in contact with water.
For hardening the knife blade, Zwilling employed the CRYODUR process as in the case of the Birchwood series. This is the most advanced hardening process that Zwilling uses to create extra strong but still flexible blades. In this case it results in a blade edge that testes 60 on the rockwell scale.
Miyabi RED Morimoto
The MIyabi RED Morimoto is one of the most accessible line of products when taking price into account. But nevertheless quality has not been spared in the creation of these knives. The steel used is the classic High Carbon Stainless Steel produced specifically for Zwilling J.A. Henckels. Basically a mixture and carbon that produces high quality blades with exceptional corrosion resistance.
The handle is here Western in style featuring a triple riveted POM. The POM is naturally great for beginner cooks that might take less care of their knives. It scratches hard and does not react to water. Also it has a western style so it will be comfortable with most cooks. Plus it is very strongly fixed in place by 3 stainless steel rivets that will hold for a lifetime.
The hardening process employed here is called FRIODUR. This process registered by Zwilling employees the technique of heating up the balde in special ovens. Then it is quickly cooled at -94 degrees Fahrenheit. This ensures you receive a strong but flexible blade that is corrosion resistant.
If you liked our presentation of a few products from the entire Miyabi Cutlery you should check out the entire Miyabi knives product line. The list does not end here. Take a look and enjoy the quality.
