The World of Great Kitchen Knives

Japan is where one of the best knives in the world are made from. It is famous for producing high quality Japanese knives. The unique way of making these knives is anealing base steel and blade steel, which the Portuguese introduced to Japan which has lead to the invention of a special knife in Sakai, Japan. After that, the
reputation of the knives in Sakai spread throughout Japan, and eventually the world market. In the middle of Edo era, many different types of knives began to be produced.

Here is a good site for the list of Japanese knives that you should know about.
 http://www.chefknivestogo.com/knives1.html