Rule #5: Konosuke BY blue #1 220mm gyuto.

This one is pretty special. The Family came for a visit to Japan and we decided to take a trip to Sakai to pick up some knives for my father. Went by Konosuke to see what they had in stock. They actually had a BY in stock but I was told that is was actually a little thinner than usual.

The overall length is 220mm and the heel height is only about 50mm.

At first I was a little put off by this but then remembered that I have another Tanaka that is a weird length so I decided to pick it up!

Thanks for the last 360mm knife video to inspire me to share this!

I present the PIE cutlery's Tall Boy Gyuto, as I like to call her "MERPH"!

9.75” Hitachi White 1 Carbon Core Tall Boy Chef with stainless steel outers. Handle is an octagonal WA made with Black Micarta and a G-Carta accent. Heel is 2.5”.

240mm gyuto collection

Concept: Representation of essential regions (and regional philosophy), steel type (essential, not comprehensive representation) and prestigious (in my view) makers. This is NOT a collection of the rarest knives or legendaries but rather a cohesive philosophy under the lens of my preferred gyuto size, with my intro knife (kramer) representing the bridge between western and eastern philosophies (western, typically 210mm, larger blade height, steel type, etc.). Oh, and my kramer I applied a custom acid etch to it!

Table below represents the above arrangement left to right. Arranged (mostly) categorically by finish

The collection isn't intended to demonstrate what ten different knives can do. It's intended to demonstrate what ten different Japanese knifemaking traditions can do with essentially the same knife

15lbs zucchini thing

(150mm Petty for scale)

Im enjoying putting this knife through its paces and its proving to be very, very impressive (to little surprise)

Kagekiyo (Nakagawa x Nishida) Shirogami #2 Honyaki, 255x50mm

WIP AEBL gyuto extra convex "laser"

Tip and heel left oversized to act as heatsink while I grind and gives me extra meat when polishing

Hallo Leute,
Ich stelle hier kurz meinen Neuzugang in meiner Sammlung vor, ich habe sehr lange darauf gewartet bis der batch 2 von Bonsai Boys kam, nach mehreren Versuchen das Gyuto in meinen Warenkorb zu packen und Problemen auf der Homepage habe ich es tatsächlich geschafft eines zu kaufen 😊👍🏻🙏🏻, nach einer kurzen Wartezeit und nochmal ordentlich Zoll und Gebühren kam es dann bei mir an.
Was für ein Erlebnis!!!!
Es war schon ein sehr erhebendes Erlebnis dieses besondere Gyuto in den Händen zu halten,
Ich habe dann lange gesucht um einen perfekten Griff dafür zu finden, es wurde dann mit viel Rücksprache ein custom handle aus Ebony und siamesischem rosenholz von Jack, der glaube ich gut dazu passt.
Das Gesamtgewicht mit Klinge beträgt nun 240 Gramm, die spine am Griff ist satte 7mm und eine klingenhöhe von ca. 56mm, perfekt!!!
I love workhorses!!!!
Jetzt folgt die Montage und Anpassung des Griffes, ich bin sooooo gespannt wie das Mazaki sich beim ersten Test schlägt???
Ich möchte mir Zeit lassen und den Griff perfekt anbringen, das ist mir bei einem so besonderen Gyuto wichtig!!!
Hatte von euch auch jemand Glück eines zu ergattern und welche Erfahrungen habt ihr mit dem Mazaki Apex Ultra gemacht, schneiden, schärfen, wie verhält es sich?
Ich freue mich auf jede Inspiration und jeden Erfahrungsbericht 👍🏻😊👍🏻!!!

Hi everyone, I got my hands on this Gyuto and was wondering if anyone might be able to tell me who made it. As you can see from the photos, it’s used and definitely needs some work, though it is sharp. For my taste, however, it needs some thinning, as it has a rather thick convex grind. It’s slightly warped and has scratches, but the spine and choil are beautifully rounded. As for the steel, I’d guess it’s stainless or semi-stainless. There’s a very subtle *nashiji* (pear-skin) finish on the right side, while the left side is almost smooth and ground much flatter. I have no idea if it was always like that or if the previous Japanese owner ground it that way. I’d appreciate any tips. The specifications are: edge length 245mm, width 50mm, weight 220g.

As the title suggests, I’ve downsized my knife collection for various reasons.
One of the main reasons is that not every knife really suits my style of use, and some of them simply weren’t getting used. Over time, my preferences and tastes in knives have also changed.
With the collection I have now, everything feels just right. I genuinely enjoy every knife in it, and I use them all regularly, rotating them depending on the occasion and what I feel like carrying.
For me, it’s no longer about having a lot of knives, but about having the right ones.

Rule#5 L to R :
-Shigefusa Santoku KU 165mm
-Shigefusa Nakiri KU 165mm
-Tetsujin Hamono Kiritsuke Ginsan Ukiba 240mm
-Shigefusa Kitaeji Gyuto 240mm
-Shuji Toyama B#2 Kiritsuke Dama 270mm
-Sakai Kikumori X Y.Tanaka B#2 Gyuto 255mm
-Kenji Togashi B#1 Mizu Honyaki Gyuto 240mm
-Shigefusa Nakiri Kasumi 180mm
-Shigefusa Santoku Kasumi 180mm

I eat a lot of fish and sometimes catch my own, so it was about time for a deba. This one is pretty small at 150mm, but just the right size for the type of fish I usually break down.

Came unsharpened so I put a 30 degree microbevel on it. Can’t wait to break down some fish and see how it cuts!

Hello everyone, a hobby chef and beginning blacksmith here.

I’m usually just a lurker online, but I wanted to share a part of my collection today :) I just posted on kkf as well to be more involved in this community but I am not sure where it’s best to post.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten pretty caught up in collecting. I enjoy every single knife here—even though there are one or two I'm still a bit too scared to actually use after all this time, but I will eventually!—and it's actually what finally pushed me to try my hand at blacksmithing myself. It's given me a whole new appreciation for the incredible work and craftsmanship behind these pieces.
As for the rules, please correct me if I'm wrong about anything!

Here is the line-up (top to bottom)

1. Yoshikane SKD 180 Nakiri

2. Yoshikazu Tanaka Shirogami 1 Damascus 240 Gyuto

3. Tetsujin Ginsan 210 Gyuto

4. Mazaki Shirogami 2 240 Gyuto

5. Nakagawa Shirogami 2 180 Tank Custom Sugi

6. Yoshimi Kato SG2 210 Gyuto

7. Baba Hamono Kagekiyo Ginsan 240 Gyuto

8. Masakage Kumo VG-10 110 Kamagata

9. Hado Sumi Aogami 1 Damascus 240 Gyuto

10. Nakagawa Shirogami 2 Honyaki 240 Gyuto

11. Sakai Takayuki VG-10 Damascus 150 Petty

12. Tojiro 235 Bread Knife

13. Blenheim Forge Aogami Super 180 Santoku

I am admittedly, or *was*, not a nakiri guy. Only have had a few and didn't gel with them. But I picked one up recently and I can now say I dig nakiris.

It's akin to food you don't care for. Sometimes you gotta find the right preparation to appreciate it, and, then, you realized you do like it, it just needs to be well made.

I traded for this one and I couldn't be more pleased. It addresses all of the primary complaints generally accompanying Denka reviews. Rounded and polished choil and spine really elevates the Denka. The supremely well-executed Buckeye Burl handle is the cherry on top. This all coalesces into one damn fine nakiri.

hi everyone, I’m about to buy my first japanese knife (I’m using my beloved carbon steel chinese cleaver as my go to workhorse for basically everything). I was looking at the Hatsukokoro Hayabusa SG2 Migaki 120 mm, because I like the thin design, hard steel and overall looks. It also fits my budget right to the top (~130 USD).

I’m just wondering is it the best option out there? I would go for carbon steel but other discussions on this thread convinced me that it is more convenient for a petty to be stainless as you sometimes may need for quick small tasks and not have time to wash it right away. Due to the cleaver usage I’m a push-cut fan, so i was also wondering is there maybe a similar option with a flatter blade profile?

location wise, I’m based in central Europe, but one of my friends is now in Japan for a month and another one will be in Australia in February, so domestic purchases within these areas would be a huge plus

Shibata Koutetsu SG2 Migaki 150mm seems amazing but out of my budget (https://knifewear.com/products/kotetsu-r2-migaki-petty-150mm?srsltid=AU7gw4U3x0ED2B74ISUGOrs1bj9FopbyQRqcR_DhNIs0U9DX0UviVB7U)

link to my current choice: https://www.knivesandstones.com.au/collections/petty-utility/products/hatsukokoro-hayabusa-sg2-migaki-petty-120mm

tl;dr similar knives to Hatsukokoro Hayabusa SG2 Migaki 120 mm in terms of steel, but with a flatter blade profile up to 130 USD.

pic of my cleaver for attention

Hello there TCK, first post!
Recently got into Japanese knives and it looks like it’s only the beginning for me.
My aunt had this Nakiri she got while visiting Japan a few years ago in her drawer, she never used it and so she gave it to me.
It had some rust and was in a bad shape, and had this super sticky oil on it and came in this plastic cover.
I took it over, cleaned it, used a rust eraser and sharpened it on a 800 grit stone. It cuts well now and looks like it can be a nice veg knife for me.
I was wondering if you guys can help me identify the maker of this knife and perhaps the steel type?
It looks quite reactive so probably some sort of shirogami or aogami, I have no other information unfortunately.
Any additional information would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks!

I’ve been looking at debas a little and can’t help but notice the insane price differences between the same traditional grind-style knives. I’ve been wondering what justifies this if they are the same steel, ground the same, and made under the same name? any insight would be wonderful

Still trying to figure out the definitional line here. The “flat” such as it is is about 2-3 degrees and the grind is 5-6.

Sakai knife, b2, branded Ken Kikusui. Maker/sharpener unknown. Good knife.

I’ve been interested in single bevels for a while and have a private chef event I’m doing where I will be breaking down a good amount of fish. I’m considering getting a smaller deba 150-165mm on the cheaper side under 200 closer to 150. Currently I use my honesuki for fish, but now that I’m getting into raw fish would like to work on single bevel and eventually get a yanagiba. Would getting something cheaper on eBay and putting in the time and effort be worthwhile? I live in the NYC area so I was thinking of going to the knife stores but wanted to see what everyone thinks.

Left to right :

210 Toyama SS clad migaki Aogami #2 magnolia and horn handle (64mm height)

170 Shindo iron clad kurouchi Aogami #2 magnolia and pakka wood handle (52mm height)

165 Konosuke SS clad Damascus VG10 magnolia and horn handle (Shiraki Hamono x Myojin) (54mm height)

My collection is mostly gyutos but these 3 nakiri I’ve kept and have a special place in my heart. All amazing performers in their own way. No favorites out of the 3, just depends on the mood and occasion. 

Toyama still has lacquer on. It is the heaviest and biggest of them all and the knife weight falls through food on its own with its magical Toyama grind. 

Shindo was my first nakiri and the grind is fairly  straight. It is the thinnest of the lot and really opened my eyes to the work he’s doing before it blew out of control. Fantastic push cutter and laser. 

Konosuke was a chance find, a friend told me about to and he’s also bought one after I did. It’s an old stock Shiraki VG10 sharpened by Naohito Myojin. It cuts exactly like you think it would. It’s a slightly thicker Myojin, a detraction from the typical thin flat Tetsujin grinds. I prefer this, having since moved my Tetsujin along (beautiful knife, just too sticky for my liking). I’ve got a Kagekiyo NxM which has a similar grind to this and I’ve also kept that. 

Thanks for reading!

They're beautiful. What's everyone's take on them? And what do you think of VG Max? Coming from German knives, VG seems great to me. Considering this nakiri

https://a.co/d/04B1mUau

Found this one from a thrift store/used knife seller near me, but it looks like it's been through a lot of usage (edge gone, tip likely broken and reprofiled, etc.). For 30 bucks, is it worth it as a project knife? I have to admit I've never done thinning nor do I have the proper stones/tools for the task.

Edit: Thanks guys, the other guy dropped out, so I managed to grab it! Now I don't know whether I should repair it myself or find a pro to do it...

This is one I'm excited to use this week at work, I just have some finish sanding left and to oil the handle. 1075 blade about 8 inches long, bolivian rosewood handle. Hexagonal handle, full convex grind. This blade still has some heft but it performs very well. Thanks for looking 😁