Kona Junk-shop Find - Handmade Sashimi Knife

Hi Guys,
New to the forum and this is my reason for seeking it out. Found this little number in the back of a whatsit shop on the Big Island a few weeks ago, all rusted up with a rotten handle for $15.
Have since stripped the handle and will put a new one on later this week, but looking for some more information on the blade if anyone can see anything that strikes a chord.
Showed it to the local Japanese knife shop but aside from it taking a lovely edge and a stab at the makers name "Kiyomoto" not much more could be gleaned from it.
Tested the rockwell and got a not too shabby 53.
Can anyone add anything more?
Images can be found here:
Signature
http://s162.photobucket.com/user/jrsharingan/media/DSC02354_zps6347241e.jpg.html
Profile
http://s162.photobucket.com/user/jrsharingan/media/DSC02355_zpsc3806ffc.jpg.html

overall shape resembles an old takobiki but appears to have no shinogi. Does the left side of the blade look the same? Looks quite old. Was the rotten handle a typical wa handle with ferrule?

olpappy said:

overall shape resembles an old takobiki but appears to have no shinogi. Does the left side of the blade look the same? Looks quite old. Was the rotten handle a typical wa handle with ferrule?

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It has a shinogi line but it is not readily visible in this shot. The blade profile has the standard two stage rounded single bevel on the right hand side and a very slight concave on the backside.
Yes, typical handle with a ferrule (copper or brass, very corroded and peeled away from the side of the handle in one place).

based on the description it does indeed sound like an old takohiki, you might be able to clean it up with the appropriate stones, and make it fully functional again.

See as it's marked "Japan", it was probably for the export market.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/...10100831832219569_955394193_n_zpsf657f785.jpg
Handle finished, also made it a matching santoku style knife out of some D2 I had in the scrap bin which came out to 63 rockwell and is a bit on the heavy side.

Nice job on the handles, an old carbon back to life

keithsaltydog said:

Nice job on the handles, an old carbon back to life

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Thanks!

Are those handles super long? Or are the blades short. Looks awkward but other then that nice work

jai said:

Are those handles super long? Or are the blades short. Looks awkward but other then that nice work

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Handles are copies of the original handle that was rotting off the antique, 12.5cm for each handle. Blades are likely just smaller than most others you're used to seeing, 12.5cm blade on the santoku, 18.5cm takobiki.

Glad you found some new life to some old blades. May they serve you well.

Ahk that explains it I was thinking it was atleast 270mm blade and that handle would be massive if it was.

jai said:

Ahk that explains it I was thinking it was atleast 270mm blade and that handle would be massive if it was.

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I wish! She's just a wee slip of a thing but I like her just fine