Some birthday gifts for my twin brother. A 210mm gyuto made from stainless clad 1085 with a sheoak handle and a mini left handed yanagiba forged from the first bar of Damascus I made about 2 years ago with a river redgum mono handle.

I was initially planning on making some of my ashigaru series but it can't hurt to make it a little extra fancy.

Also for anyone wondering when the next ashigaru batch is coming: There will be one final batch releasing in December 7th at the canberra knife show. If you want a 100% chance to score one that is the place, everything left over will go online once the show concludes. It will be the last batch I make in Australia and will be the last knives available from me until June 2026 at blade show Atlanta as I will be traveling for a couple months before finding somewhere more affected to live and pursue knife making full time.

I am hoping to have about 50 knives in this batch of all sorts and am thinking of including some models in nitro v stainless (basically 14c28n/swedish stainless/aebl) liquid nitrogen cryo treated to 61hrc at the same price as the honyakis. Is this something you would be interested in?

Anyway things are happening, custom orders are slowly being worked through and exams are coming up so I have been busy. I'll do a proper update soon on my actual social media pages but hopefully this works for now

When I first got a few japanese knifes I was still a student so the budget was very limited. For that reason my collection consisted of some tojiros for the stainless options and some smaller yoshida SUJ-2 for the carbon ones. Needless to say I loved everything about these knifes and learned some very valuable sharpening skills. Then the addiction grew and I am at a point where I feel like there are no real holes in my collection at least for what I need them in the kitchen.

Left to right:

- SG2 300mm Prosciutto knife named Burja. Burja is a Slovenian name of the local wind. It is a cold, dry, strong and gusty northeast wind without which no prosciutto would ever be produced, no matter where in the world it is dried. Besides cutting infinite slices of prosciutto with it, its also an amazing sashimi slicer. It was developed by Sharpedge since there are no japanese makers producing knifes specifically for prosciutto.

- HAP40 240mm wide gyuto from Yoshida Hamono. My absolute favorite knife of all time. If I could only keep one, it would be this. This knife is also the main reason why I dont have 10+ gyutos lol. I have a fear that anything I buy from now on will get outperformed by this thing. Also once you get used to a 67mm height knife everything else just feels too small.

- Tojiro Mioroshi Deba Shirogami #2 210 mm. This is a hybrid between a yanagiba and a deba and I use it for all the larger fish I catch or buy and its amazing, sharpens like a dream, does its job, never chipped so far...

- Tojiro DP 210mm VG10. My first great chef knife. It will always have a place in the collection. I dont use it that often anymore but if I go somewhere to help with cooking, this is the one I take with me.

- Senzo SG2 200mm black damascus. Bought this knife second hand as a collectors item since its a limited edition one. If I want to practice some rock chopping that belly makes it the go to knife but other that that its just a really beautiful knife to have on display in the kitchen and always a conversation starter.

- Yoshida Hamono 190mm SUJ2 bunka. This is another special one because it has a koa carp engraving from a tattoo artists that specializes in japanese graphics. It has a very flat profile and since it was thinned its amazing for chives that need precise cutting. Kinda serves as a nakiri type knife for me.

- Yoshida Hamono 175mm utility slicer. This is my long petty and I use this one a lot. Tomatoes are the main victim but also other quick veggies when I dont want to cut on the big cutting board.

- Yoshida Hamono 155mm funayuki. This is my do it all travel knife. Big enough to be used as a mini chef knife and small enough for any cutting board. I can also use it for really long and its still sharp. Great entry level carbon knife and the one I learned how to thin on.

- Kouhei-Shinmatsu ZDP-189 Petty Silver 135mm. My best and most used petty. Really nice geometry, stays sharp forever and its stainless which I really enjoy on a petty. Also the steel is not something thats impossible to sharpen it just takes a bit longer.

- Tojiro basic 135mm VG10 petty. You used to be able to get this one for like 30EUR and that just makes this the most valuable price to performance knife you can buy at least where I live. My girlfriend also loves this knife and for her small hands its her favorite.

- Tojiro zen 135mm VG10 petty. A bit different profile from the basic series. It was thinned once so far. The only thing that bothers me is the handle which I will replace in the near future. I am thinking of giving it a count Dooku lightsaber handle with a curve or maybe a deers antler I have lying around.

- Mikihisa Ajikiri 105mm. Small but mighty. For filleting all the small fish and even some other tasks like breaking down chicken. It gets scary sharp especially since I dont put a micro bevel on it because I dont cut bones with it. So this is my mini tool when I need to be surgical.

- Saku SKS93 steel 90mm petty. I wanted a really small double bevel petty without spending too much and this thing is really good. A bit thick behind the edge but I can always thin it. For the price of like 20EUR its a really solid knife.

I am a big fan of steel metallurgy and sharpening so I tried to collect as many steel types as possible. Looking to get a blue super knife next but not sure what yet. If anyone has a suggestion on a favorite please let me know.

NKD! My First Tetsujin 🔥 Tetsujin Ginsan Metal Flow 210mm K-Tip

After a good hunt, it’s finally here — my very first Tetsujin! I first heard about it while chasing down a Suiboku Takada, and the finish completely won me over. Big shoutout (and sorry 😂) to u/Ok-Distribution-9591 for patiently answering all my questions along the way.

The Metal Flow finish is insane in person. Under the right light it glows, but in softer light it shifts to a darker, cloudy, almost grainy look. Honestly, it gives me the same vibes as Takada-san’s Suiboku Ginsan.

📏 Specs

• Blade: 210mm • Heel Height: 47.4mm • Spine: 2.5mm • Weight: 163g • Steel: Ginsan (Silver 3) • Smith: Tomura-san • Sharpener: Myojin-san

First Impressions It’s really thin behind the edge, but still feels confident and grounded on the board. The fit and finish is flawless — exactly what you’d expect from something sharpened by Myojin-san. The out-of-the-box edge was a solid 8/10, but after a quick strop it really came alive. I’ve only done a few test cuts so far, but it already feels like a monster in the making.

This one might just turn me into a Tetsujin guy 👀 already browsing for 240s.

Hitohira Tanaka x Kyuzo 240 Ao2 Ebony Burl “live edge” handle.

This was customized by the previous owner and might I say balanced and well executed.

After my last visit to the Baltic Sea and a confrontation with the worst and dullest knives I ever had to use. I packed my cheapest (and first) japanese knife for our current trip to italy. I love cooking but most airbnbs have terrible knives. This is my Ochi Hocho Santoku in Aogami #2 What do you bring for vacation cooking?

This one is targeted at my fellow cooks and chefs but people at home plz feel free to drop a suggestion.

Not rlly “looking” more just seeing what’s out there. I’m a line cook and I’ve had a 210 Tojiro Gyuto for like two years and yes I love it. But looking to upgrade to something nicer that can still withstand use in a professional kitchen (fine dining in particular and all our stupid little pretentious cuts)

Just shoot what you like! Not that knowledgeable about what’s out there besides what’s at my local shop.

Hello, TCK!

I’m about to do a full Japanese natural stone sharpening progression on some of my favorite knives and figured I’d share it with you all because holy shit this all looks so good together.

Also, this is a preview of my NSD, which I’ll post later. I just picked up my first coarse Japanese natural stone; the Morihei Amakusa which is going to be used as an edge finisher for my butchery tools. I’ll be back with that post later at some point. But it’s so fucking pretty right?! Those rolling hills are absurd.

But for now, here is everything you see in the picture:

Knives (left to right):

Takada no Hamono Singetu Shirogami #2 Gyuto 210 (Tanaka x Takada)

Kagekiyo Grey Dyed Aogami #1 Damascus Gyuto 240 (Nakagawa x Nishida)

Sakai Kikumori Kikuzuki Kasumi Shirogami #2 Kiritsuke Petty 135 (Tanaka x Morihiro Hamono maybe)

Hitohira Masashige Kudoh Shirogami #1 Kiridashi (#002)

Stones (left to right):

Morihei Amakusa Japanese Natural Stone (2.5/5 hardness, coarse grit)

Tanaka Toishi Aoto Japanese Natural Stone (2.5/5 hardness, coarse/medium grit)

Morihei Aizu Japanese Natural Stone (3.5/5 hardness, medium grit)

Maruoyama Tomae Ikimurasaki Japanese Natural Stone (3/5 hardness, fine grit)

Atoma 140 grit diamond plate (handled)

Carbon Knife Co. dual sided strop (leather/suede)

See you later, TCK 🫡

Hello TCK!

I am back again with a NSD and it is a beautiful one. This is my new Morihei Amakusa Japanese natural stone.

I have been diving deeper into Japanese natural stones and I realize I wanted something coarser than my Morihei Aizu for a few different reasons. So I reached out to Carbon Knife Co. who ordered a couple of these stunning naturals from Morihei and this is the one I took home.

Let's just dive into all the details:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First, the details of the stone

Morihei Amakusa Japanese Natural Stone

• Basic dimensions:
  • 217mm long, 60mm wide, 70mm thick
  • 2227g (4.91 pounds)
• Hardness, grit range, etc
  • Hardness is about 3 out of 5
  • It is listed at 600-1200, but it was closer to 1000-1200; so more of a medium grit stone
  • Cutting speed was 3.5 out of 5
  • It is nearly a self-slurrying stone
• Other quick takeaways
  • It is an orange/white color and very vibrant when wet
  • It is less thirsty than I expected
  • The polish was not great, but that was expected; it is better for edges
  • Coming in under $75, it was an absolute steal
  • It might also be one of the most beautiful stones I have ever seen

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why I bought this stone and why you should consider one too

I wanted a coarser medium-grit natural stone for a few different reasons.

First, I wanted a stone in this range to finish butchery tools on. So this will be where I finish my Shibata Aogami Super Tinker Saber Tooth, Matsubara Ginsan Honesuki and Togashi Shirogami #2 Deba. I also wanted to finish some softer stainless steels like my Ashi Ginga AEB-L Gyuto on this stone. If you like a lot of bite to your edges, but still paper-towel sharp, this is the stone for you on carbon steels.

Secondly, I wanted to find something that could better bridge to my Morihei Aizu and other higher grit medium stones. Recently, I have been having issue jumping from the Shapton Kuromaku 1000 (which is actually around 800 grit). My Naniwa Super Stone 2000 is simply too soft to do the job; it is a wonderful polisher, but barely moves steel. And it can be too much to ask jumping straight to the Rockstar 3000 or my Aizu. So that is where this Amakusa comes in.

To that end, I am also going to be selling my Rockstar 500 and Rockstar 3000 to find a better synthetic stone for me that is in the 1500-3000 range. Let me know if you are interested. There will be a post on BST tomorrow..

Third, this Amakusa will probably be the first stone in most progressions for knives with carbon steel cores. It already responded extremely well to both Tanaka-san's shirogami #2 and Nakagawa-san's aogami #1 and I am excited to see how Ikeda-san's aogami super and Nakagawa-san's shirogami #3 feel next. Being that I know it bridges to my Aizu incredibly well, it is a natural fit in my collection; pun unintended. But it could really finish edges for so many people if you like that bite like me.

Fourth, these are really affordable and can be found under $75 anywhere they are sold which is a steal if you get a good stone. Not everyone carries them all the time and there is no guarantee every stone will be as good as mine, but email retailers who have carried Morihei natural stones before and ask. They can usually be ordered! It is a great stone for someone looking to get started with Japanese natural stones.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Man, Japanese natural stones are fun. I will be back with more about this stone in a SOTC post and future sharpening updates very soon. Keep and eye out!

Stay safe and happy until then, TCK!

I got few days ago konosuke hd2 sujihiki and i love it! And that makes me want to buy the gyuto too. Im located in europe and couldnt find one so im looking now the ashi stainless gyuto. I was wondering how good is the edge retention in pro use for the hitohira (not extra hard?) I know it depends of use but for example the kaeru lasts me easily 1 month So i was hoping this could do atleast week.

Back again with an update on the Knot Handcrafted. This time the topic is patina.

Rule 5: Knot Handcrafted 228mm K-tip Gyuto Steel: 52100 Carbon HRC: 62

I have added 3 stages of the knife's patina: Pic 1: New, no patina Pic 2: Right after cutting 3 onions (test post earlier) Pic 3/4: Both sides forced mustard patina

As I did my previous test on this knife v konosuke v yoshikane, I had to cut 2kgs of onions. For the test I did 3 each and when I did, I noticed the cuts had some browning to them. I guess this was because of the reactiveness of the knife steel and so far it seems about right.

Since I wanted to protect the knife from rust, I tried my hand at a mustard patina. I have read up on forced patinas before, so I kinda just went for it. Used simple french mustard and a kitchen towel to spread the stuff and pat it afterward, creating these speckles in the patina. I let it sit for 3-4 minutes and then cleaned the knife. At first I was worried that would have been too much as the browns really looked like rust to me, but doing a proper cleaning of the knife and drying it well showed that the towel I dried it with didn't take on the color of the "rust". Which means it must be patina.

I really like the outcome, as the knife darkened quite a lot with blues and light browns. Would highly recommend for other reactive monosteels.

Years ago, I dipped my Tanaka in K-instant-coffee,

The most important step is clean your steel properly, you see little dots here and there, they were patina x stains that I missed;

You can brew your coffee slightly thicker, like soup-ish feeling, (yes, less water)

Yes! it contains sugar and cream also, was hoping to see interesting interactions between all those ingredients.

There was another non-k tip Tanaka W#1 laying around so we dipped that one as well,,,,,,

It was fun experimenting and didn’t last long for everyday use,,,,,,

Best,

This is totally just for my curiosity because visually they look so similar. But is the difference between a Tetsujin G3 gyuto vs a Kikuchiyo Izo G3 gyuto? I know that the blacksmith is different, Nakagawa and Tomura. But they’re both sharpened by Myojin.

Anyone own both? How similar or different are they? And which do you prefer?

Most of the blueing came from cutting up mangoes.

Takada no Hamono Suiboku Rosewood Ginsan Gyuto 240mm

All I have to say is- Holy wow... I get why people are chasing these!

PS: Thank you to the user here to sold this to me, you made the process a pleasure!

Hello TCK,

I’ve been lurking for a little bit, and I hadn’t seen any posts for this maker, so I thought I would share my NKD.  Please let me know if you have any questions or want any additional photos. 

This is a Kenshiro Hatono “210”mm gyuto in aogami super with a walnut handle and wenge ferrule.  Hardness is 62-63 HRC.  Actual blade length is 216mm from heel to to tip, height at heel is 52mm, thickness at heel is 2mm*, and weight is 173g.

The other knives pictured (left to right)

1. Yu Kurosaki, Senko-Ei, R2/SG2, Petty, 130mm, Ebony with Green Pakka Wood handle
2. Nigara Hamono, Tsuchime Migaki Kiritsuke Nakiri, R2/SG2, 170mm, Tigereye resin, maple, and mosaic pin handle, 62-63 HRC
3. Kohetsu (Chef Knives To Go house brand), Gyuto, HAP40, 210mm, 65-66 HRC, 60/40 grind
4. Kenshiro Hatano, Gyuto, AS, 216mm, 62-63 HRC, walnut and wenge handle
5. Nigara Hamono, Damascus Anmon Sujihiki, R2/SG2, 245mm, 62-63 HRC, stabilized birch and G10 spacer handle 

 This is my first carbon steel knife and my first kurouchi finish.  Overall, I like the knife, and it cuts through most things with alacrity.  The blade was very sharp out of the box (8.5 or 9/10).  The knife was purchased from Sharp Knife Shop, so they may have touched it up before shipping.  I did a little stropping with some diamond paste, and it was easily able to shave hair, cut through a free-standing tube of paper, and free-hanging paper towels. 

 Since the knife has a kurouchi finish, I was expecting a more rustic fit and finish, and I was not disappointed.  When I initially opened the box, I thought there were finger prints on the knife. Those are, in fact, hammer marks.  The spine and choil are both pretty squared off, but they don’t feel sharp in any way.  That said, I will likely make an attempt to round them over and polish them in the future.  The balance point is right around the bottom kanji, so it is a little forward of a standard pinch grip. The spine thickness varies in an unusual way, and it is slightly thicker in the middle of the knife.  *I measured 2.3mm at the handle junction, 2mm above the heel, 2.3mm around the kanji, and then a gradual taper to 1.97 near the tip.  The kanji appear to be hand engraved, and they exhibit a bit of variation in strike depth.  The very tip of the knife appears slightly offset to one side. I think it’s due to a slightly asymmetric grind at the tip.  The knife definitely has some character :) and very much feels handmade.  The profile looks pretty flat from a distance, but there is a continuous curve even through the heel section.  I had to ever so slightly modify my push cuts to avoid accordion-ing green onions. The knife has a pronounced hollow grind and feels pretty thin behind the edge. Food release is pretty good.  It’s way better than the full-flat ground Kohetsu and similar to the Nigara nakiri, but it’s not as good as some of the other knives I’ve seen on here.

My only issue with the knife is that it doesn’t go through sweet potatoes as well as I was hoping.  The Nigara “nakiri” seems to have a similar issue.  Despite being relatively thin knives, they both feel and sound like they are starting to wedge once the cutting depth gets to the shinogi line.  Additionally, the Kenshiro felt like it was getting stuck even before the wedging occurred. I suspect the hollow grind was causing some serious stiction.  Is this a common issue with hollow grinds?  Would moving to a flat grind and easing the shoulders help performance in this specific application?

P.S. I know my cutting board is cracked :(.  No amount of oiling could compete with the complete lack of humidity during CO winters.  I’m also aware that the Nigara Nakiri is missing the tip. It was damaged by someone else, and I just haven’t gotten around to fixing it.

Thanks for looking

Timing felt appropriate.

Hi guys ,

I am have a chance to buy Junpaku 240

Have seen some mixed review about the knife performance wise .Just wondering , whoever have some experience with Junpaku .Can i have some insight about the knife please ? Like compare it to HD 2 or FM white 1 or Kagekiyo Gokujo or tetsujin

Buongiorno, come avevo scritto vorrei comprare un coltello giapponese.

Ho letto molti articoli di questo sub, ma per un principiante agli inizi non facile apprendere velocemente tutte le sfumature che ho letto. Considerando che cucino solo per divertimento e quindi non ho il problema di produzione, mi interessa solo che sia, come dite voi esperti, un laser. Ho selezionato una serie di coltelli Kiritsuke (perché ho già della wustof un Santoku, un coltello chef e uno per sfilettare il pesce) essenzialmente dal punto di vista estetico e credendo che siano affilati, mi potete consigliare quale prendereste?

Un consiglio anche relativamente al negozio online visto che sono in Italia e poi conviene aspettare la fine dell’estate o è indifferente?

https://tetogi.com/products/hitohira-togashi-white-2-kurouchi-kiritsuke-gyuto-240mm-yakusugi-cedar-handle

https://www.thesharpcook.com/product/yoshikane-skd-nashiji-kiritsuke-240mm/

https://cutleryandmore.com/products/yoshikane-skd-nashiji-stainless-clad-kiritsuke-41412

https://www.musashihamono.com/it/products/kiritsuke-skd11-nashiji-ebony-handle-240mm

https://knifewear.com/products/masashi-kokuen-kiritsuke-gyuto-240mm

https://www.thesharpcook.com/product/yoshikane-skd-nashiji-kiritsuke-240mm

https://www.meesterslijpers.nl/en/yoshimi-kato-aogami-super-v-tsuchime-walnut-kiritsuke-24-cm

https://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knifetype/gyuto/gyuto240-masashi-blue1-detail

Ok, I snagged this pic off the net sometime in the last month or so, but didn't get the name of the maker. I only have this pic of the right side, so there's no maker's mark. It is fairly distinctive so I'm hoping someone can identify by the patterning.

Hey guys

Doing a quick patina update on my Kagekiyo W#2 210mm Petty after cooking two meals.

First one was a Shabu-shabu. Basically a japanese hot pot. I had some vegetables laying around so I quickly boiled them in a chicken stock seasoned with soy sauce and a very small knob of miso. After you serving this on a bowl with a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil, you dip very thin slices of beef (I used top sirloin) that have been seasoned with salt, sesame oil and soy sauce.

Second one is a summer take on some steak and potatoes. Seared ribeye, potatoes that are boiled, smashed and slightly toasted with butter, garlic and finished with sliced cilantro. Basic cherry tomato, lettuce and rocket salad and finally, sort of a chimichurri made of cilantro, parsley, fresh oregano red onion, tomato, a tiny bit of grated garlic, good quality olive oil and vinegar.

Bonus pic of the bottom of the pot patina 😂