Transparency

Affiliate Disclosure

Okami Blades publishes editorial product recommendations on our Curated Picks page, across our buying guides, and within individual blog posts. Some of the links in these places are affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking one of them, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

What this actually means

  • The price you pay through an affiliate link is the same price you’d pay anywhere else. We don’t mark products up.
  • Affiliate commissions come from the retailer (Amazon, ShareASale partners, etc.), not from you.
  • We mark every affiliate link with rel=“sponsored” and/or rel=“nofollow” in the HTML, per FTC guidance and Google’s Search Central documentation.
  • We only recommend products we’d put in our own kitchen or stand behind based on direct testing, industry reputation, or published data.

Why we publish affiliate picks at all

A Japanese chef knife is only one piece of a serious kitchen. Our buyers ask us all the time which whetstone to start with, which cutting board to use, which nakiri is worth the money. Rather than publish vague “top 10” lists, we’d rather name the specific products we’d buy ourselves, explain our reasoning, and link you to them. Affiliate revenue makes it possible for us to do that work at the depth our readers deserve.

Programs we participate in

  • Amazon Associates — We earn from qualifying purchases made on Amazon.com after clicking our links.
  • SharpEdge (Slovenia) affiliate program - As of April 2026, we earn a small commission on Japanese knives, whetstones, and accessories ordered through our SharpEdge links. Mostly relevant for EU readers; prices are identical to going direct.
  • Select ShareASale and Commission Junction merchants — where partners align with our editorial standards.
  • Direct partner programs — where a maker or retailer has reached out and met our quality bar.

What you can trust

  • We will never take payment to recommend a product we don’t believe in.
  • We will not remove a negative or neutral assessment because a partner asked us to.
  • Our own Okami Blades house knives (Classic and Premium Damascus) are sold directly and are not affiliate products — they’re our own.
  • Affiliate links are disclosed at the page level (top of every page where they appear) and not hidden in small print.

Questions, corrections, or concerns

If you believe we’ve recommended something that doesn’t hold up, email info@okamiblades.com. We read every message, and we’d rather correct a bad recommendation than defend it.

This disclosure is made in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR Part 255 — Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.