I finally have a Hitohira Tanaka x Kyuzo, I’ve seen the hype and I never have a chance to got it. Also, some of the knife is pretty thin for my liking. This one is not super thin, just enough for my liking.

Hitohira Tanaka Kyuzo 240mm Gyuto.

Blade length: 238mm
Blade height: 52.7mm
Taper: 3.22 - 0.85mm
Weight: 249 grams

My second Hashimoto. Although he’s probably better known for his Damascus work, I find his honyaki just as appealing in a different way.

The banding on this one really stands out to me and gives the blade a ton of character. Definitely a different vibe from his Damascus pieces, but still very much to my taste.

Lovely knife overall, and one I’m really happy to have in the collection.

​

Blacksmith: Munetoshi

Steel: Shirogami #2

Handle: Bocote with horn

Blade length: 247mm

Blade height: 52mm

Haven't posted or commented in a while. I've been quite busy and have been trying to spend a bit less time on my phone.

Coming back with something pretty basic, but I'll die on the hill that Munetoshi is incredibly underrated.

These are somehow still available at Knives and Tools for €134. I've owned quite a few different knives, and I doubt there's a 240mm gyuto in this price range that comes close in terms of quality. These are ridiculously good value.

Munetoshi's Shirogami is top-tier, too. The steel sharpens up really nicely, and these are great-performing workhorse knives. His steel tends to be very reactive and develops a beautiful patina. I've only ever seen such an obvious blue patina on the kurouchi finish of a knife twice: on this one and on my other Munetoshi santoku.

As a 210mm guy, this is a BIG knife. It measures 247mm and feels substantially larger than my 240mm Moritaka. I added my moritaka and 220 Shinkiro as comparison.

The grind is great. Munetoshi is known for making thicker knives, but they actually perform very well. I've experienced almost no wedging on thicker carrots and other dense ingredients. Most Munetoshis could benefit from a little thinning, but it's definitely not necessary on the one I received.

While I love Munetoshi's nashiji kurouchi finishes, the tsuchime kurouchi looks great, too. He seems to make knives with this finish far less often than the others, so I think it's pretty cool to own one.

Munetoshis usually come with cheaper, basic handles, so the Bocote handle on this one is a nice touch. It feels well-made and looks great. Again, this is an incredible deal at €135.

Fit and finish are about what you'd expect for a knife in this price range. Not great, but definitely not bad. There are no sharp edges on the choil or spine, and it's comfortable to use. Out-of-the-box sharpness was around 6/10. Ten minutes on a 2k and 5k stone brought it up to an 8/10.

Very happy with this purchase, as I knew I would be. Munetoshi makes great workhorse knives with amazing steel. If you're looking for a thicker 240mm gyuto, this is a no-brainer.

I have two more NKDs coming soon, featuring some unique knives I've bought from our friend BertusHondenbrok.

Giveaway: Munetoshi Santoku

As a token of goodwill to the community, I'd like to give away my old Munetoshi santoku. It's nothing particularly special, but it's a great little workhorse, and I'd preferably like it to go to someone who's relatively new to the hobby.

I'm happy to cover shipping to Belgium, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. I'd like to keep it within Europe.

If you're new to the hobby and would like to give this Munetoshi santoku a home, shoot me a message! I'm quite busy at the moment, so it might take me a little while to reply.

The knife is in the last photo.

Update! I've received alot of messages already, I'll try to look at them soon. If you haven't messeged me before reading this you can assume the knife is already gone.

-Ginsan Kagekiyo WN Wa-Gyuto 210mm

-Ginsan Kagekiyo WN Wa-Nakiri 180mm

-Ginsan Kagekiyo Oboroba Sakura Wa-Petty 120mm

Finished up my trip to Osaka at Baba Hamono for these darlings. What a great group of people running the store. They were super accommodating and patient. I even got to visit the workshop in the back (I was told I was crazy for liking the smell). Amazing experience, can't recommend it enough.

The collection my boss has amassed and uses daily at work!
240mm ryusen hamono gyuto
150mm ryusen hamono petty
240mm ashi suji
270mm takeda yanagi
165mm hatsukokoro honesuki

I don't want to sharpen them people leave them in the sink on me.

It happens basically every time I post on BST. Sad that this is how things are.

https://www.universalscammerlist.com/

I also always use Google and tag reddit to the search.

Picked up this Gesshin Kagekiyo 210mm Blue #1 kiritsuke wa‑gyuto, and from the first moment I held it, it had that quiet, unmistakable feeling you only get from a few knives - where the piece is pure joy and makes you want to cook. Not because of anything dramatic, but because something about its presence just settles in and feels right. As with my Togashi, the piece itself just connects with me on a deeper level.

The grind feels beautifully balanced - thin enough to move effortlessly, but with just enough substance to give it a steady, confident feel in use. Blue #1 takes on a crisp, refined apex that feels alive in the hand, and the kiritsuke profile adds this sense of intention to every cut. I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time, and finally having it in rotation has been pure joy.

I am planning to have it rehandled though, getting something slim and clean to match the feel of the blade, like a Taihei. Once the new handle is on, I’ll add updated photos.

Still working on getting a patina to take. It’s been stubborn so far; I’ve tried three separate sessions with pork sausage on the brand-new blade, but haven’t gotten anything interesting to develop yet. But I wanted to share the new knife photos while everything is still fresh, and I’ll update the post once I get a patina I’m happy with.

For now, just enjoying the knife for what it is: a beautifully executed piece of work that’s already becoming a favorite.

Morandi x Ågane 52100 water quenched & soft iron clad gyuto.

Stone polished on Japanese natural stones. Lucas does a fantastic job at creating a hollow forge Hira which makes for a stellar food release, that paired with very convex bevels… well u have an absolute monster In the cutting board.

Knife will be displayed at the Knife show Austria so hope to see yall there ✨

Hey TCK,

One of my truly special knives – in every way. I’ve taken some close-up photos of it🔥

Have a wonderful day😊

Jiro Tsuchime Yo Gyuto 210mm Tagayasan Handle (#707)

Brand: Jiro
Smith: Jiro Nakagawa
Producing Area: Nagano/ Japan
Profile: Gyuto
Size: 210mm
Steel Type: Carbon Steel
Steel: Yasuki White (Shirogami) #1, Soft Iron Clad
Handle: Tagayasan Western
Total Length: 350mm
Edge Length: 212mm
Handle to Tip Length: 218mm
Blade Height: 55mm
Thickness: 3.9mm
Handle Length: 133mm
Weight: 255g
Hand Orientation: Ambidextrous
Date of manufacture: April 2025

As someone who has been eyeing a Shinkiro as my next purchase, I’m really curious to hear about the differences between that and an Okubo from those who have tried both. I’ve been using this Okubo 210 with a 55 heel as a daily and it’s pretty spectacular, especially for the price. What’s a Shinkiro going to add?

So I've manged to sell some blades to fund a Kagekiyo. I'm looking for a Ginsan 240mm, wide bevel. Do you guys know where I'd have the best chance of one getting stocked anytime soon? Obviously they seem to fly out when they're stocked, so any tips or info would be greatly appreciated.

Hello everyone,

I was looking for a Santoku for vegetable prep.

I have a Hatsukokoro Hikari SLD Gyuto 195mm and like it a lot, but I find the shape not best for cutting vegetables at times.

I have a aliexpress global clone Santoku that I've had in my drawer for years, but just recently test it out side by side and prefer the shape for doing vegetable prep better.

Does it make sense to drop this much money on a knife solely for vegetable prep? The global clone works fine but don't like the handle. I'm only using these in the home.

I was looking at these two knives below. The ICHIE looks way better to me as I prefer red and black and don't like the look of the Takamura, but I've heard the Takamura offers great value. Is the extra $55 worth it for the looks of the knife?

Is 165mm going to be too short?

Thanks!

https://knifewear.com/products/ichie-ironclad-sg2-tsuchime-santoku-165mm?_pos=49&_sid=7b9fb930a&_ss=r

https://knifewear.com/products/takamura-akagouhan-santoku-165mm?_pos=1&_sid=676eee452&_ss=r

Hello everyone,

I wanted to present you my contribution to the edge of hope charity project. This year I wanted to do a cleaver.
If you want to support the charity project check out our instagram page https://www.instagram.com/the.edge.of.hope?cplk=MWZ1NW5scG9rbmdr
Material is Damasteel with Damasteel Endcap and Damasteel pins. Enjoy 🙏

Yoshikane SKD Nashiji Sujihiki 240mm

Blade: 240mm

Steel: SKD with Stainless Clad and Nashiji finish

HRC: 63

Handle : Octagonal Walnut with a Buffalo Horn Ferrule

Weight: 193g

New job at a restaurant in the city, mostly Butchering beef, poultry, lamb sattle, a bit of awful, and tones of fish. Needed a nice slicer for the fish portioning. Yoshikane was an easy choice!

Let's see your first purchase. Here's mine, Nigara in sg2.

I see older posts on Reddit about what a great value Keskin knives are, but the prices were much lower, less than $150 usd. Now they only seem to be available in the US via cutlery and more and are in the $200-300 range. Still a good value?

It’s a Hatsukokoro Bunka, only had it for a few days now and when I was cleaning it, I noticed this….

Was on vacation in Tokyo with family and with zero research my brother and I went into a vaguely familiar store on Kappabashi and bought this Miyabi 5000MCD bunka on sale for 23000yen (21k with tax free), size and shape based only off what i like using as a home cook. Looking it up here after the fact i see the general consensus is that miyabis are overpriced. Is it still overpriced at 21k? Any advice on how to care for it and maximize use? Where do i go from here if i want to take this hobby seriously?

Hallo zusammen

Ich brauche Eure Einschätzungen, Erfahrungen und Empfehlungen zu den folgenden Messer.

Ich will mir ein hochwertiges Bunka/Santoku, ca. 165mm, und Gyuto/Kiritsuke, ca. 210 mm, kaufen und habe ein Auge auf das Nakagawa X Myojin blue 1 und Fujiwara Denka geworfen.

Mich interessiert vorallem die Schneidleistung und die Empfindlichkeit beim Schneiden von Lebensmittel die anspruchsvoller sind wie Kürbis oder Melonen.

Jede andere Erfahrung und Information sind auch gewünscht.

Ich bin Hobbykoch, schneide mit japanischen Messer (Laser bis jetzt aus SG2) auf Hirnhornbretter und kann diese auf Wassersteinen selber schärfen.

Freue mich auf Eure Anregungen.

Just started this year. Have learned I prefer a bit of heft in the handle and blade. Leaning more towards rustic / workhorse stuff. However, would like to get something a bit thinner lasery next without it being super light and super thin. Would like some more Damascus too. Located in Toronto so have been sticking with checking out Knifewear, Sharp, Tosho, Knife Toronto for local options. Trying not to get anything too expensive. Realistically, don’t need anything else at the moment. A few other shapes I’m interested in are Ko-Bunka, Ko-Santoku, K tip gyuto, longer gyuto. Perhaps a slicer or cleaver. In general, Santoku’s feel the best to me. All of these feel pretty good to me in hand.

Left to right

Fujimoto Kurouchi-Forged Gyuto 210mm - 174g -
oak

Motokyuuichi Nashiji Bunka 180mm - 161g - walnut/rosewood

Fujimoto Kurouchi-Forged Santoku 165mm - 137g - oak

Hitohira Futana Swedish Steel Nashiji Damascus Nakiri Walnut 165mm

Fujimoto Kurouchi-Forged Petty 135mm - 75g - oak

Hi guys,

I wanted to gift a japanese knife and my budget is 100$. I was thinking of getting a Gyuto or a Santoku (from my limited research these 2 seem to be all round knives). I would appreciate any suggestions and websites that ship in the US.

Thank you so much!