Hankotsu, usuba, nakiri… Jesudas Puthumana of Chendamangalam, Kerala, makes 13 kinds of personalised Japanese kitchen knives
Nirvana 2019, the house Jesudas Puthmana built on Valiya Pazhampilly Thuruth — one of the tiny islands that dot the Periyar and make up Chendamangalam, Kochi — looks especially Marquezian on a rain-drenched day.
Fashioned in such a way that it seems like an extension of the scenery, it is a labour of love, and a passion project, for which he drew the plan, sourced the material, designed the floor tiles and even calculated the angle of the sun’s shade on the roof. He built a wood-fired masonry oven for its kitchen, where he bakes pizza, bread, cake and naan. Jesudas also makes artisanal Japanese kitchen knives under Urukk Blades.
He brings out five handmade knives, in different stages of completion, and lovingly explains each. For use in the kitchen and by chefs, the knives are personalised with the name stamped on one side of the blade and a unique serial number on the other. Japanese kitchen knives are varied, each with a different purpose, for example, usuba, a traditional knife used for vegetables and intricate cutting, hankotsu, a boning knife, nakiri, a vegetable cleaver for up and down chopping. Jesudas makes 13 types of knives, with a choice of four finishes and three types of wood handles.
Meat cleavers to bread blades
Since March 2022, when he started, he has delivered 45 knives, to a clientele that includes chefs Thomas Zachariah of The Locavore, Hussain Shahzad of The Bombay Canteen, and Avin Thaliath, co-founder and director, Lavonne Academy of Baking Science and Pastry Arts.
“I want my knives to be used, and chefs who understand a good knife because it is their primary tool,” says the 44-year-old mechanical engineer. The Serbian meat cleaver among the Japanese kitchen knives proves he is up for a challenge. Next, he plans to make a bread knife for a Mumbai-based baker by adapting a serrated type of Japanese kitchen knife.
He forges, sharpens and polishes knives out of Ultra High Carbon (UHC) steel also known as tool steel for the same reason as he built his house and its wood-fired oven — “the feeling of making something from zero, to build something out of scratch.” Or, if he were to be ‘arrogant’, he jokes, “because I can!”
If he were to pinpoint what piqued his interest in swords/knives, he pegs it on a documentary on Japanese Katana swords. While working for a construction company in Dubai, with access to a workshop, he made a couple of knives on a whim.
Steeped in geometry
However, a visit to a blacksmith in Palakkad, in early 2022, to get knives custom-made revived his interest. “The blacksmith had an order of Japanese-style knives, which he was making while I was there. It got me curious enough to go back to Kochi and spend a month on homework for the types, design, and drawings of the first set of knives. On the next visit, I made the three knives.” Reference material for the blacksmith was some photographs; at the end of the stay, he carried home what he saw and learnt.
While locally-made knives are forged from High Carbon steel, “the geometry or shapes are random, these are made as per the blacksmith. Japanese knives have a continuous tradition where each knife’s geometry has evolved to specific usage because of which knives with specific names and functions exist.”
Jesudas put that knowledge to use in March this year when he finally decided to take the plunge, encouraged by the response to his first three knives. “I did nothing else but work on them.” The knives can be ordered on his socials, via Facebook or Instagram.
He shows Excel sheets of the knives he has made so far, he has the specs down to the measurements and weight of each knife. He works with a couple of local smithies near his house, hours working with blacksmiths forging and hammering UHC steel blanks into knives. Although he does not work continuously, each knife is more than 15 hours of work.
The handles — rosewood, beech and olive — are made by an artisanal carpenter. The other processes are done by hand in his workspace at home hand wrought by Jesudas: sharpened on a whetstone and polished in his workspace at home. Customisation requests include dominant hand preference, he charges a small amount for some requests. He has, however, not been asked for customisation for a particular hand.
Focus on functionality
Gyuto, santoku and bunka are all-purpose knives suitable for a variety of functions — cutting/chopping meat, seafood, and vegetables. The most popular of the lot is gyuto, which accounts for 30% of orders. “Japanese knives have evolved over centuries, and the nuances of knife edge geometry have been streamlined perfectly. The edge geometry differs from conventional Western knives as most of these have a single bevel (sloping surface or edge) and a steeper bevel angle. UHC steel can maintain such steep and thin edges.” While designing the logo, he tapped in on the artist in him. Although in Malayalam, the font, style and colours have a distinctly Japanese vibe.
Listening to him talk about metallurgy and steel, its origin in South India and how it was taken from here to other parts of the world, one gets the sense of where his interest lies. He jokes about wanting to make urukk steel or Wootz Damascus (Damascus Steel) from iron ore, “People will think I am crazy!” For now, he wants to keep it to forging knives.
The prices of the knives range from ₹4000 to ₹10,000, @urukkblades on Instagram
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