“I bought the 14-piece set for a new kitchen and assumed I would replace the knives within a year. Two years on, the chef knife is still the first thing I reach for.”
Maya R.
Imarku Knives · Official Website
A Japanese edge, made to last.
High-carbon steel, hand-honed at fifteen degrees, and a handle shaped for a working grip. Imarku kitchen knives have left the same family workshop since 1949. Now they ship direct from us.
Free US shipping over $10030-day returns1-year warranty
Est. 1949
刃の作
刃の作
1949
The family workshop opens
108
Steps from steel to finished knife
32,768
Layers after fifteen folds
15°
Hand-honed cutting edge
The collection
Buy the block once. Keep it for years.
The 20-piece set is the widest block we make. The 14-piece is the one most kitchens settle on. Every set below arrives with its block, and most with a built-in sharpener.
All knife setsLargest set
20-Piece Japanese Knife Set
The widest set we make. One block, a built-in sharpener, and a place for every blade in the kitchen.
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Most popular
14-Piece Knife Set with Sharpener
Chef, santoku, bread, slicing, utility, paring, six steak knives, shears and a self-sharpening block.
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15-Piece Stainless Knife Set
Stainless steel blades, a built-in sharpener, and a block that keeps the working end off the counter.
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16-Piece Japanese Knife Set
Sixteen pieces in a waterproof wood block. Dishwasher-safe handles for people who would rather not hand wash.
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Forged 14-Piece Knife Set
Fully forged, full-tang blades with a built-in sharpener. Heavier in the hand, steady on the board.
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Bestseller
8-Inch Chef Knife
The one knife that does most of dinner. Eight inches of high-carbon stainless steel with a pakkawood handle.
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Damascus Chef Knife
Sixty-seven layers over a VG-10 core, hammered to release food and finished with a full-tang handle.
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7-Inch Santoku Knife
A hollow-edge santoku with a thin grind. Made for vegetables, herbs and clean push cuts.
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Single blades
The knives cooks reach for without thinking.
Most dinners need one good chef knife. The rest is preference: santoku for push cuts, Damascus for the weight, a bread knife for the loaf on Sunday. Start with the blade you are missing.
All Japanese knives
Chef knife · 8 inch8-Inch Chef KnifeThe one knife that does most of dinner. Eight inches of high-carbon stainless steel with a pakkawood handle.Shop this blade 
Santoku · 7 inch7-Inch Santoku KnifeA hollow-edge santoku with a thin grind. Made for vegetables, herbs and clean push cuts.Shop this blade 
Damascus · 8 inchDamascus Chef KnifeSixty-seven layers over a VG-10 core, hammered to release food and finished with a full-tang handle.Shop this blade 
Bread knife · 10 inch10-Inch Bread KnifeA serrated blade for sourdough, tomatoes and anything with a crust. Saw through, do not press down.Shop this blade 
Steak knives · 6 pieces6-Piece Steak Knife SetSix steak knives with wooden handles and serrated edges. Ready for the table, not just the drawer.Shop this blade 
Cleaver · 7.5 inch7.5-Inch CleaverA cleaver for squash, ribs and prep that needs weight behind the cut. Tall blade, short work.Shop this blade 
Paring knife · 3.75 inch3.75-Inch Paring KnifeA small knife for work in the hand: peeling, coring, trimming and the jobs a chef knife cannot see.Shop this blade 
Sharpener · 12° and 15°Rolling Knife SharpenerTwo diamond discs and four magnetic angle blocks. Roll the blade across the discs instead of scraping it through a slot.Shop this blade Our craft
One hundred and eight steps. No shortcuts.
Steel is folded fifteen times, quenched in clay, ground thin and honed by hand. The sequence has not changed since the first Imarku blade left the workshop in 1949.
The forgeSteel, fire, water
Steel
High-carbon stainless, chosen for the edge
Blades begin as high-carbon stainless steel, heat treated to hold an edge without turning brittle. Forged sets sit around 56 ± 2 HRC. The Damascus chef knife wraps a VG-10 core in sixty-seven layers.
Fire
Fifteen folds, then a clay-coated quench
Folding and forging build the layered structure; the clay coat slows the quench along the spine and hardens the edge first. The result is a blade that takes an edge and keeps its spine tough.
Edge
Honed at fifteen degrees, polished to 3000 grit
The final grind is done by hand, then finished on a 3000-grit stone. A sharp knife should slice a ripe tomato under its own weight. If yours does not, talk to us before you reach for a sharpener.
Handle
Full tang, shaped for a working grip
Full-tang construction carries weight into the cut and keeps the balance over the index finger. Pakkawood and composite handles are shaped, sanded and sealed before the blade is fitted.
Imarku was founded in Japan in 1949 and crossed to the United States in 2016. The workshop, the standards and the family running it came with the name.
The specifications
Sharp is a specification. Not a slogan.
We publish what goes into the blade because a knife is a tool, not a mystery. These are the numbers behind the collection. Exact steel and hardness vary by series, and every product page at checkout repeats them before you buy.
| Steel | High-carbon stainless steel; VG-10 core on Damascus models |
|---|---|
| Hardness | 56 ± 2 HRC on forged sets |
| Edge | 15° hand-honed, finished on a 3000-grit stone |
| Construction | Full-tang forged blades on the forged and Pro series |
| Handle | Pakkawood, ash or dishwasher-safe composite, by series |
| Warranty | One year against defects in materials and workmanship |
Edge angles differ across collections. Check the product details at checkout for the exact angle of the knife you are buying.
Reviews
People cook with them. Then they write.
“The santoku is thin where it meets an onion and heavy enough to feel serious. I stopped reaching for my old chef knife inside a week.”
Daniel K.
“The rolling sharpener is the first one I have owned that made a visible difference on the first pass. My bread knife cuts crust now instead of crushing it.”
Priya S.
Questions
Answers before you buy.
Steel, sharpening, shipping, warranty. The things people ask us most, answered plainly. Anything else, our customer care team is in California.
Where can I buy genuine Imarku knives online?
Right here. This is the official Imarku Knives website, and every order placed through it is fulfilled and supported by us. Your warranty is registered to your order, and customer care answers from the same address. Talk to us if you are unsure about anything before you buy.
What is the best Imarku chef knife for home cooks?
Start with the 8-inch chef knife. It covers onions, herbs, chicken, potatoes and most of what a home kitchen asks for. If you prefer a taller, flatter blade for push cuts, take the 7-inch santoku instead. Cooks with larger hands often move up to the 8.5-inch pro chef knife.
What is the difference between an Imarku chef knife and a santoku knife?
The chef knife has a curved belly, so you can rock it through herbs and garlic. The santoku has a flatter edge and a thinner tip, which suits push cuts, vegetables and clean slices. The santoku also has a hollow edge, so food releases instead of climbing the blade.
What size is the Imarku chef knife?
The standard Imarku chef knife is 8 inches (20 cm). The Pro series runs to 8.5 inches. Both are long enough for a whole cabbage and short enough to control on a small board.
What type of steel does Imarku use in its knives?
The blades are high-carbon stainless steel, heat treated to hold an edge without becoming brittle. Forged sets sit around 56 ± 2 HRC. The Damascus chef knife uses a 67-layer steel construction around a VG-10 core. Exact steel varies by series and is listed at checkout.
Are Imarku knives dishwasher safe?
Several sets use dishwasher-safe handles, including the 14-piece and 16-piece block sets. Even so, we recommend washing by hand: warm water, a little soap, a quick dry. Dishwasher heat and long soaking are hard on any knife edge and handle.
How sharp are Imarku knives out of the box?
They arrive hand-honed and ready to cut. The heritage finish is set at 15 degrees, and some collections use a different angle for more support. You should be able to slice a ripe tomato without pressing. If yours does not, contact us before you sharpen it.
How do you sharpen Imarku knives?
Use a honing rod for a few passes before cooking, and a sharpener when the edge stops biting. The rolling sharpener holds a 12 or 15 degree angle for you. Light pressure, even passes, no grinding. For chips or a badly dulled edge, send it to a professional sharpener rather than taking off metal at home.
What is included in the Imarku 14-piece knife set?
The 14-piece set includes an 8-inch chef knife, 7-inch santoku, 8-inch bread knife, 8-inch slicing knife, 5-inch utility knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, six 4.5-inch steak knives, kitchen shears and a knife block with a built-in sharpener.
Does the Imarku knife set come with a built-in sharpener?
Most block sets do. The 14-piece, 15-piece and forged 14-piece sets include a built-in sharpener. The 3-piece set arrives in a gift box without a block. Each collection page lists what is in the box, and the checkout page confirms it before you pay.
What warranty do Imarku knives come with?
Every Imarku knife and block carries a one-year warranty from the day your order arrives. It covers materials, construction and workmanship under normal household use. Normal edge wear, routine sharpening and cosmetic changes are not defects. Start with customer care and we will sort out what happened.
What is Imarku’s return and refund policy?
You have 30 days from delivery to return an item. Contact service@imarkuknives.com with your order number and we will send the return instructions. Once the item reaches us and passes inspection, the refund goes back to the original payment method. Used and damaged items may not qualify.
Still deciding? Send us a note and we will answer within one business day.
The official store
Your next knife is the one you keep.
Free US shipping over $100
30-day returns · 1-year warranty