Knives out: Meet the man crafting Japanese blades in Kochi
A documentary on the katana or samurai sword first inspired Jesudas Puthumana, 45. ‘It’s a thrill to control the character of the cutting edge,’ he says.
How does a project manager in the construction industry end up crafting chef’s knives?
It began with a documentary he watched when he was 18, says Jesudas Puthumana, 45. He was captivated by the artistry of the Japanese katana or samurai swords on display.
Later, as a mechanical engineer working in construction in Dubai, he had access to a metals workshop, and, on an impulse, crafted a few knives there. This began his adventure with blade-making.
There’s a thrill to watching raw metal acquire a razor-sharp edge, he says.
Intriguingly, the knives he has opted to make are instruments crafted in the Japanese style. Prized among chefs, and others with a taste for blades, these knives come in a range of very specific predetermined shapes dictated by their purpose (one for filleting fish; another for dicing vegetables; a third for chopping meat). They are made from high-carbon steel, which allows for a far sharper edge.
Jesudas has been selling his knives for two years, across India and in the US, UK, UAE, Italy, Canada and Australia, among other countries.
“My interest was piqued by the fact that someone in India was crafting Japanese knives, so I ordered one,” says Hussain Shahzad, executive chef at Hunger Inc (which oversees The Bombay Canteen, O Pedro and Veronica’s in Mumbai). “I liked it so much that I ordered another.”
Shahzad discovered Jesudas on Instagram, as did chef Avinandan Kundu of Sienna Store & Café, Kolkata. Kundu has ordered three of the handcrafted knives. “I was captivated by his work,” Kundu says. “Craftsmanship of this calibre is rare to find. I wanted a personalised Japanese knife, a rarity in India, one that is well-balanced and brimming with character, and that is what he made for me.”
It all began for Jesudas, rather oddly, with a pizza oven, in the pandemic.
Trapped in a newly constructed home in Kochi during the extended lockdowns of 2020, Jesudas built a wood-fired oven from scratch and began impressing his friends with authentic pizzas and homemade Christmas cakes.
One friend, businessman Ajai Joseph, asked if he would build him such an oven too, and he did. Joseph also had a passion for Japanese knives. Given the metal workmanship he had displayed on the oven, could he give those a shot? Jesudas said he would try.
He began conducting research online. He reviewed and drew charts; studied the math involved in the balance and the dimensions. His degree in engineering helped, he says.
By 2022, he was ready to craft his first piece. He visited a blacksmith in Palakkad, and saw first-hand what the basics of working with metals at very high temperatures involved.
“I returned to Kochi and dedicated a month more to research, exploring specific designs and meticulously sketching a blueprint, along with the branding, logo, supporting literature and packaging design. Then I made three knives. That was in March 2022,” he says.
He now sells under the brand Urukk Blades (Urukk being Malayalam and Tamil for Steel). He specialises in 20 Japanese designs, all meticulously crafted from ultra-high-carbon steel (UHCS).
His most-popular model is the multi-purpose Gyuto (Japanese for Beef-Knife), favoured by chefs for its heft, balance and 9-inch blade. Also popular is the versatile Santoku (Japanese for Three Virtues, in this case, meat, fish and vegetables). This is a shorter and slightly wider knife, designed to chop finely with a rocking motion. The one chefs tend to order is the Sakimaru-Takohiki, designed to fillet fish.
“My USP is customisation,” Jesudas says. Customers can pick between a rugged tsuchime or hammered finish and a refined migaki or high polish. Handles are available in an array of woods, with the option of having the owner’s initials or names stamped onto the blade. (Prices start at ₹7,500.)
All Urukk knives are hand-forged by Jesudas at 800 degrees Celsius, at a local workshop, then polished, buffed and sharpened by him at home. “I have refined my craft over two years. Initially, the knives were crafted with functionality as the priority, even though looking rustic and beautiful was a feature,” he says. “Now I have incorporated several types of chisel-hammering details that adds texture and character. A sweet spot has been attained pertaining to the heat treatment procedure, and subsequently there has been a significant improvement in sharpness too.” He has fine-tuned the sharpening process, into a meticulous multi-step one that he performs over hours.
“There is a tangible bond I share with each knife as a result,” he says. “From heat treatment to final finish, it is a thrill to control the character of the cutting edge.”
