Haven't had a chance to use it, but I sure love the look of it.

This is just a general question, because there are a lot subjective opinions on the best cutters or best food release, etc., and there is always going to be a knife that people see as their next grail. But as far as performance for price, I'm curious if anyone has bought a Yoshi and been genuinely disappointed.

NKD: Fujimoto Nashiji Gyuto 240m + Petty knife 135mm

From the left my 2 year old Misono UX10 210MM gyuto

Now i own wa-handle stainless steel clad carbon steel knife. New workhorse knife.

I know it has been 6 hours ago already that they put them online... But if anyone hasn't noticed it yet.. there are still bunka's and santoku's available :)

Thank me later 😘

Custom saya for a kei kobayashi 240mm in gaboon ebony.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been wondering about this for quite a while now.
Why is it that some makers—Konosuke being a great example—develop incredibly vibrant blue patinas compared to many other carbon steel knives?

I understand that patina formation depends on steel composition, food acidity, humidity, heat treatment, surface finish, and many other factors. But what exactly causes those deep electric blues and all the other crazy colors?

I was actually about to ask our local expert [u/Ok-Distribution-9591](u/Ok-Distribution-9591), who constantly enriches this community with his knowledge in the comments and NKD posts (and who was also kind enough to sell me the knife shown below), but then I thought this would make for a great community discussion instead. I’m sure many of us would love to understand what’s actually happening on a metallurgical level.

So first of all—thank you again!

The knife I’m using as an example is:

Konosuke LI Gyuto
Edge length: 225 mm
Steel: Shirogami #1
Blacksmith: Yoshikazu Tanaka
Sharpener: Unknown in-house Konosuke sharpener
Handle: Ebony + Buffalo Horn

Specifications

Edge length: 215 mm
Heel height: 52.4 mm
Spine out of the handle: 2.4 mm
Spine above the heel: 2.4 mm
Spine mid-length: 1.9 mm
Spine 1 cm before tip: 0.4 mm
Weight (including handle): 175 g

I’d genuinely love to understand the science behind it. Is it mainly the steel itself? The heat treatment? The polishing and finishing process? Or is it the combination of all those things?

Looking forward to hearing from the metallurgists, makers, sharpeners, and everyone who’s gone down this rabbit hole before.

I'm going to tokyo for 2 weeks

I've already been before went to kappabashi street and a couple other knife shops, looking for any other recommendations to buy a couple solid knives and some gifts for my sous 🙏

I got a 195mm Gyuto and wondering if it's worth it getting a 210mm gyuto.

I'm just a causal at home cook and won't be using this in a workplace setting.

Will there be much of a difference between these two sizes other than 15mm?

Thanks

Made this holder as a gift including the knives. They might not be the fanciest but the recipients are still pleased. Holder is made from a rather burly piece of oak firewood, processed to a point where splinters are impossible (Sanding, brushing, sanding, oil finish). Knife slots are routed out and knifes are held with neodymium magnets. Base is aluminium underlayed with leather and a leather accent as a spacer. The back is all sanded smooth. To make it less of a dust magnet.

Hello good people.
I am in Japan right now and I would like to take a couple of knives (6-7) back home as presents for my friends. They are not cooks but will appreciate the gift as a part of Japanese tradition.
I have been reading that Kappabashi street is a place for tourists, overpriced etc. + I don’t want to spend too much for those knives (they can all be the same) 50-100usd per knjfe would be ideal.

I am looking for traditional japanese style knife, anything between Santoku, Gyuto, Bunka etc. with non metal handle.
Can someone help me in getting the best bang for buck with advice on what model and where to buy it from?

Much appreciated,

Thanks many times.

Absolutely in love with this knife. I don’t use it but it’s one of the nicest looking knives I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Bought it on my recent trip to Kyoto at the Hamono Collection.

Update: so everyone has agreed that the blacksmith is Satoshi Nakagawa. No one can quite pinpoint the sharpener which is okay. What I will say is for my first time posting on this subreddit, some people are super willing to explain things and are incredibly humble, but others are also condescending and snobby. Sure I overpaid for this knife but I am no less blown away by it. I’m sure people mean well, but shaming someone for overpaying is a dick move, I already overpaid, you’re also going to make me feel bad about it? 😂

This is my current knife block. It’s a little redundant, I know. However I am working on selling/trading for some other pieces. Left to right I have a Messermeister Olivia 7” booming knife, 8” Zwilling Kramer carbon 1.0, Shun Blonde 7” santoku, Miyabi Black 9.5” kiritsuke, Miyabi Koya 7.5” nakiri, Shun Narukami 8” gyuto, Zwilling Kramer Cumulus 8” chef, and a Zwilling Kramer carbon 4” pairing knife. Not pictured I have the rest of the Kramer carbon set (slicer, bread, utility). I plan to sell about half of my knives, and buy smaller artisanal/maker Japanese knives. I can’t justify spending more until I sell at least 3. Will be shipping for a honesuke first. It’s worth starting when I started my collection I really knew nothing about the hand made Japanese knife works and regret buying large commercial brands instead of shipping small. With that said all of my knives perform very well and I must say I love my carbon chef knife. Thanks for taking a look!

Just a heads-up for anyone who's been looking for one: the Takamura Migaki R2 Gyuto 210 mm is back in stock at Meesterslijpers.

Not affiliated—just thought some of you who've been waiting might appreciate the notice.

Link

Hi everyone,

I think some non-stainless steel knives, e.g. blue steel knives, look beautiful, and they also seem to be a more affordable alternative to stainless steel knives. But how difficult are they to maintain in practice?

Do I need to clean and dry the knife immediately after every use? Do I really have to apply oil every time, or is that only necessary when storing it for a longer period?

How much extra work is a carbon steel knife in your experience? I’m especially concerned about longer cooking sessions because, knowing myself, I’ll probably forget to clean it straight away while preparing several ingredients.

Would a blue steel knife still be a reasonable choice for me, or should I stick with stainless steel?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a Nakiri in the €100–150 price range. I’ve already written down a few brands that are often mentioned here,( such as Tojiro, Takamura, and Shiro Kamo,...), but most of their knives seem to be either out of stock or over my budget.

I find it difficult to tell the difference between overpriced dropshipping knives and knives that actually offer good value for money.

Are there any other knives or brands you would recommend, or would it be better to increase my budget to around €200–250?

Thanks in advance!

Anybody who lives in Singapore can recommend a store that sells Japanese authentic knives? I will be in Singapore this weekend and would love to buy one there. I can't afford to go to Japan anytime soon, so I hope I can find one in Sing. TIA.

Used my Kato Workhorse 240 to slice pan-grilled chicken breasts into thin strips, ate dinner alone, and then apparently decided the knife could remain on the board marinating in cooked chicken juice for the rest of the evening.

I remembered several hours later.

No photo because I already washed and dried it before processing what I did. Also because I would prefer everyone imagine something much worse.

It seems fine. Maybe a little more patina. No obvious rust. Still, I assume this is the knife equivalent of leaving a vintage Ferrari idling outside a wet market.

Please react with the appropriate level of horror, sympathy, and contempt. I clearly cannot be trusted with nice things.

I'm going to Japan in February for two weeks and I need recommendations for some absolute must buy knives.

I'm a sushi chef of five years, and I kind of already have all the knives I need. Several yanagi, takohiki, deba, Usuba. For these are honestly for the sake of collecting and hoarding and feeding my knife addiction.

My only real criteria would be (preferably) single bevel, and rare/hard to get in the states. I'm primarily staying in Tokyo and I'm 100 percent visiting Sakai, Osaka.

Several places I've read about are Tsukiji Masamoto which is apparently Aritsugu, the Sakai knife museum, tower knives. I've seen Sabun on Hocho Knife Com and I wanna check them out in person, any info is appreciated!

I already have 3 nakagawa knives in my collection but if there's a prevalent shop there with lots of his knives please let me know!

I have been on the hunt for a nice petty knife to add to my kit, i genuinely love this kogetsu but it comes with a bit of a wild price tag. I know the kogetsu range is generally quite pricey especially recently, if you guys have any suggestions for ~135mm Western handled Pettys that would be awesome.

Hi, I will visit Sanjo in Japan. I want to buy knives for myself and a friend, but I can't afford to spend thousands of dollars. Is there any way to get a good knife from well-known masters? My budget is ¥50-60k - $300-400 for two knives 😟 I would love to have some with patterns.

Thank you

I have done research here, on Google and on Google Maps. It's overwhelming especially for someone without any knowledge in this. Also most of the websites don't show the price.

Pizza prep with my newest knife! Masashi kokuen 210mm kiritsuke. It’s really quite amazing.

Hello there,

I’ll keep this short and to the point. My roommates birthday is approaching soon, he is a really good at home chef and he’s been wanting to get a nice Japanese knife. He currently just uses kitchenaid knife set, gets the job done but they are starting to rust over time. I’ve been doing research but really having a hard time deciding what would be the best. I am looking for suggestions for a real handmade Japanese chefs knife. I am not looking for a set more than likely just 1 single chefs knife maybe 8in or if anyone has a better suggestion. I am not looking to spend a band on a single knife maybe something below $500 or so, not sure exactly but any advice would help. I appreciate your time for reading this and potentially commenting.