Tanto Knife Store

By Ben Stephens

If I was a skilled Samurai knocking about 14^th Century Japan in need of a sword to match my namesake, I would’ve whipped out the Good Sword Guide of the time and have been convinced that Sakai, just South of Osaka, was the place to be. That’s because it was the home to the craftiest of craftsmen or shokunin, using techniques that are still practiced today to forge the highest quality of blades.

So when the idea was proposed to open Tanto, QT Melbourne’s resident knife store, we didn’t want to open your average ruler of knives store, we wanted to open the best store in town – offering blades that you couldn’t get anywhere else in the country.

After doing some in-depth research, we found 10th generation makers, Suisin, who are still creating these knives and applying the traditional crafting techniques of pre-modern Japan.

Junro Aoki developed the Suisin collection, a son of the Aoki Knife Craft Kazoku, who in 1990 began the range, blending Sakai knife crafting techniques and a sleek contemporary design.

So we asked the makers of the finest Japanese swords to come to Melbourne and guide us on the knife scene, as it can be rather cutthroat from time to time. With the newest knife store in town having opened its doors on the ground floor of QT Melbourne, it’s time to drop by and see which one fits best in your kitchen arsenal.

Stop by, after service or not, with your set of blades and the team will sharpen those soft edges for you, using traditional Japanese techniques.

Tanto is located next to the newest industry laneway bar to open in the Melbourne, Hot Sauce. A mixture of late night drinks, 90’s hip-hop and provisioned with a Korean/Japanese menu – think baos, kimchi and sticky rice buns. A place to relax while your knives are being shown some love.

Tanto is open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 6pm.