Sakai Takayuki Tokujo Line, feedback?

Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

alleyezond

Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2016
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Hi,

I'm new to the world of J-knives and have spent the better part of the last month reading various posts on this forum. I'm currently looking at a Sakai Takayuki Tokujo single bevel yanagiba and just wanted to get an idea about the general quality of this line of knives/what to expect/value proposition before pulling the trigger. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but it's a White #2 core with soft iron clad, correct?

I've searched the forum, and can't seem to find much in the way except for a few BST posts. The knife I'm looking at is described as being forged by Kenji Togashi and finished by Yukinori Oda. Searching those names on the forum seem to yield pretty positive feedback, but it seems that they are usually linked to a more prestigious line (Suisin, Byakko, etc.). So, feedback on the Tokujo line from Sakai Takayuki anyone?

Thanks!
 
I'm curious where you're looking. The description of that exact knife on Knives & Stones says "The Tokujou line is the best-selling Japanese knife for professionals, using white-2 steel from Yasuki. The Tokujou line is hand forged by Master Kenji Togashi, who received the Sakai Traditional Craftsman award in 1996. He is considered as one of the best bladesmiths among his peers. Great fit and finish." Another site I saw it on said it was hand-sharpened.

Sakai Takayuki is one of the premier large-scale manufacturers in Japan. Their reputation is excellent.
 
Thanks for the response Dave!

I hope you didn't take my inquiry as meaning that I had any sort of negative impression of the line. I just meant that I didn't see much user feedback on forums and such. I was just reaching out for some user feedback if there was any to be had before I pulled the trigger on a purchase, that's all! (I did searches on this forum and google for the most part).

They seem to be good value, but I'm very new to the world of J-knives so my judgement doesn't have much integrity.
 
Just wonderring, if you are new to Japanese knives, are you happy to use and sharpen a single bevel knife? No problem if you are, but just making sure.
 
I currently have 2 double bevel knives, a Ichimonji 210 W2 gyuto and a Hiromoto AS 190 Santoku, so this will be my first foray into single beveled knives. I understand that it will be a learning curve, both to use and to sharpen, but I'm ready for the challenge. This is also, why I'm asking about this particular line as it seems quite affordable. Just fishing for comments or last minute warnings before I pull the trigger. Thanks for the concern!

I guess I should add that I currently have 2 stones, a 1k Bester and the 6k Arashiyama, in case this affects anything.
 
Basically every major manufacturer in Japan has a white 2 "not so fancy" line that is relatively cheap yet made by good smith. This line usually focus on the chefs in Japan who generally care less about f&f and bling than us.

Masamoto KS, ST tokujou, Jikko Yosaku, etc are all similar class.

In the case of Sakai Takayuki. The tokujou line used to be mainly forged by Kenjiro Doi and sharpened by Yukinori Oda. So the quality of the blade is basically guaranteed. Compared to more expensive lines, this class of knives have probably slightly less emphasizing on miner imperfections compared to the more premium offerings.

I can only imagine other brands will have the same level of quality offerings.
 
I currently have 2 double bevel knives, a Ichimonji 210 W2 gyuto and a Hiromoto AS 190 Santoku, so this will be my first foray into single beveled knives. I understand that it will be a learning curve, both to use and to sharpen, but I'm ready for the challenge. This is also, why I'm asking about this particular line as it seems quite affordable. Just fishing for comments or last minute warnings before I pull the trigger. Thanks for the concern!

I guess I should add that I currently have 2 stones, a 1k Bester and the 6k Arashiyama, in case this affects anything.

That's great. I used hamigabura sharpening on my (double bevel) Mizuno and it worked really well and wasn't too hard at all. I found Jon's videos very helpful (thanks Jon... again). I say go for it if you feel you are ready.
 
Thanks James! That was exactly what I was looking for. I really appreciate the knowledge drop! Happy Holidays everyone!
 
Back
Top