Storage

If you will not be using your knife for a while, you should take all of the precautions noted above to prevent rust, then apply a thin layer of oil to the blade, and place it in it's saya. Once in a while, you will have to visit with your knife to make sure it is not reacting and rusting. During this inspection visit you should remove the knife from it's saya, wash it thoroughly with soap and water, dry it completely, and inspect it. Maintain it if need be, then wash it, dry it, and re-oil it before returning it to storage. As a rule, knives should be stored in a dry dark place and out of the reach of children.

Repair of damaged knives

As a rule: DON'T! knife repair and restoration is a serious job and best left in the hands of professionals. you are more likely to do irreparable damage trying to fix a knife than to actually fix it  (not to mention you might hurt yourself)- and no warranty  in the world will cover this action on your part. We strongly recommend you have your knife maintained and restored by a professional in your area or get in touch with us regarding the possibility of sending it to us for restoration. Please note that we do not restore knives other than our own.

Having said that, there are instances where you can very easily and simply repair certain damages that present themselves during the course of regular use - such as chipping. Japanese knives are made of VERY hard steel. While this enables them to keep a keen edge far longer than other knives, it also means that they are more brittle and likely to chip over time and with use. Chips are probably one of the most annoying things blade wise, both practically and esthetically. However, they can be corrected quiet easily. Here is how.

First, if you have not done so already, ready our section on Honing & sharpening . In the first image you can see the two chips located at the center of the cutting edge's arc.  Use the stone to hone away clear above the chips as indicated by the dotted line in number 2. You should now be left with a knife resembling Number 3. This knife has an exceptionally "low" shinogi line. Keeping as "flat" as possible, raise the shinogi line as indicated by the dotted line in Number 4. Use an arato coarse stone for this operation. You will need to take off quiet a bit of material (depending on the chip size of course).