Konosuke engraved knivesMoe Doiron/The Globe and Mail)
Anyone serious about cooking is serious about knives and in-the-know chef-y types know that Konosuke is behind some of the best blades in the world. Forged in Sakai in Osaka Prefecture, a region historically renowned for its high-quality samurai swords, these once hard-to-find Japanese carving tools are now readily available through Toronto's Tosho Knife Arts, which carries the largest selection of Konosuke knives in the country.
Among the most beautiful are these sporting a cherry blossom pattern on the mirror-polished blades. The collection, which boasts octagonal cherrywood handles and black-horn bolsters, encompasses a variety of sizes. From $190 to $466 through www.toshoknifearts.com.