Knife Japan: What's notable, worth buying, etc.?

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yoyoma said:
https://knifejapan.com/moriya-munemitsu-kuchigane-santoku-180mm-gingami-3-stainless-steel/

Anyone bought one of these and can speak to the fit, finish, or anything else? I hate knives that are finished poorly and have parts jutting out of the handle, bolster, etc, or cut my hands up on the pinch grip.

Also, these are mono-steel, right?
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These are monosteel Ginsan, which is not super common. I haven't tried them but I'm considering as well.

If you search around here you'll find a post or two about them. I recall reading good reviews.
 
jaydee said:
Once more on the Ikenami 240mm gyuto I bought (see #post226)
I managed to grind down the protruding heel somewhat so it is a non-issue now.

With its almost 240g over a length of 240mm, a heel of only 48mm and a spine of constant thickness, I realized the tip is way too thick though!
I literally had to push it quite heavily to make vertical cuts into an onion!

So what do you do with a knife that cost 300$ plus shipping plus 28% of total import cost
that does not perform very well?
Sell or send to knife-pimp-shop?
I decided for the latter and send it to a knifemaker here in germany (@Jaeger ) that i luckily found out about here at KKF.
I decided it would be too much work&money to grind it into having distal taper from heel to tip
but decided to work on the tip section only.
The taper Fabian applied starts at almost 10cm from the tip.
The last 5cm of the tip are really quite thin but not overly so.
(2mm thickness and 9g of metal were lost in the process)
For me he made the perfect choice between performance and still not overly fragile.
Also this is a very workhorsey knife/grind so a scalpel tip wouldn´t be the right choice.

The knife now performs magnificently with its tip especially.
Mid and heel sections were very good cutters already before
although Fabian did point out that the knife isn´t consistently convex but has flat and concave spots too.
See the pictures for a comparison of the tip before and after.
And a final picture of the knife with the satiny finish Fabian applied.

Although the knife in total ended up being quite expensive I absolutely feel it is worth its price in the end; mainly thanks to Fabian´s great "pimp job" so once more "thank you so much!!".

so what do/did we/i learn from this:

1. Obviously ask for more detailed specs before buying especially so if the knife is on the heavy side and the "distribution" of weight is unclear.
I mean, I could have guessed that a 1g/mm-knife with a heel height of only 48mm is going to be a thicc boy and also that the tip is going to be very thick considering a constant thickness of the spine.
2. A thick knife that lacks performance can be turned into something that performs extraordinary if given to the right people.
Don´t give up on a knife, especially if you like almost all of its characteristics.
Give your local bladesmiths some business.
Chances are they will transform its performance and price/value-ratio into different heights.
3. Get a custom knife right away that you know will have a good and consistent grind that also performs well.View attachment 304079View attachment 304080View attachment 304081
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Very cool!
 
Choppin said:
These are monosteel Ginsan, which is not super common. I haven't tried them but I'm considering as well.

If you search around here you'll find a post or two about them. I recall reading good reviews.
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They are good, just get the bolster version, fit and finish it fine for what it is, non bolster is gonna disappoint Fit&finish people
 
blokey said:
They are good, just get the bolster version, fit and finish it fine for what it is, non bolster is gonna disappoint Fit&finish people
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Interesting, I was actually considering the bolsterless version.

Where exactly is the F&F disappointing? All over, or the handle install specifically?

Just trying to understand if it's something I could fix myself (like round and polish spine / choil) or something more complicated like the handle install.
 
Choppin said:
Interesting, I was actually considering the bolsterless version.

Where exactly is the F&F disappointing? All over, or the handle install specifically?

Just trying to understand if it's something I could fix myself (like round and polish spine / choil) or something more complicated like the handle install.
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Mostly the handle, they all have gaps in the front due to taper
 
SwampDonkey said:
Did you go fingerstones, sandpaper, or full stone method?
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Sorry, terrible pictures - need a new phone but every time I try to order one another knife arrives in the post 🤷🏻‍♂️

Santuko - I am no polisher by any means, but you get the idea 😉
 
So if you didn't see my posts earlier in this or in the ARM thread, at my urging, Michael finally got Homi san to produce a 180 nakiri. He ended up producing two of them and two 180 santokus.

I already own his 165 versions of each and love them. Having recently received the 180 nakiri and being able to use it a fair bit these past few days, I'm loving it and super glad this all worked out! Michael said I'm the only person in the world to have both of Homi san's nakiri's. I believe, at least based on my ordering, that Homi sort of builds to order with Michael so possibly Michael doesn't actually have a 165 in stock. So while he has the other 180 nakiri, he may not have a 165 in stock so therefore, his assertion would be accurate.

I'm so smitten I just couldn't stand the idea of not having one of the prototype 180 santokus as well. So I contacted Michael and should be receiving a shipping notice soon. Once I get it, I reckon I'll be the only person in the world with the full set of Homi's offerings.

Well, at least until you folks start bugging Michael to get more of those 180's in stock. :)
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
So if you didn't see my posts earlier in this or in the ARM thread, at my urging, Michael finally got Homi san to produce a 180 nakiri. He ended up producing two of them and two 180 santokus.

I already own his 165 versions of each and love them. Having recently received the 180 nakiri and being able to use it a fair bit these past few days, I'm loving it and super glad this all worked out! Michael said I'm the only person in the world to have both of Homi san's nakiri's. I believe, at least based on my ordering, that Homi sort of builds to order with Michael so possibly Michael doesn't actually have a 165 in stock. So while he has the other 180 nakiri, he may not have a 165 in stock so therefore, his assertion would be accurate.

I'm so smitten I just couldn't stand the idea of not having one of the prototype 180 santokus as well. So I contacted Michael and should be receiving a shipping notice soon. Once I get it, I reckon I'll be the only person in the world with the full set of Homi's offerings.

Well, at least until you folks start bugging Michael to get more of those 180's in stock. :)
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Michael and DHL have always been lightening fast for me but this one was extra quick. Less than two full days.

I am so excited!

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I haven't done anything more than remove the lacquer, which was again not nearly as thick as my first two, and then wash it. It's a touch thicker than the 180 nakiri, at least from the spine down a bit but still maintaining a slim edge. Balance is really nice and I love the profile.

This is the right kind of wabi sabi!

I know these are simple knives but they suit me right down to the ground. I'm genuinely honored to have this set and to have played some small part in getting Homi san to try his hand at these longer blades.
 
My Okubo santoku showed up earlier this week. Only been able to use it once, but it's a very smooth cutter and pleasant to use. I will probably make a different handle for it, but overall, it's a fantastically lovely knife.

This was my first purchase from Michael and I'm definitely hooked on trying more stuff from KJ
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All these guys chasing names. Whose apprenticing where? Who is the sharpener on this or that? Who is the big thing right now? Who is the next big thing? Who, who, who...???

Meanwhile, the KJ guys are like...

Ohhhh, that (insert knife type here) looks cool and it's only $95. Annnnnd I got that $10 off coupon that Michael sent me... Done!

:)
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
All these guys chasing names. Whose apprenticing where? Who is the sharpener on this or that? Who is the big thing right now? Who is the next big thing? Who, who, who...???
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His name is Mazaki!
His name is Mazaki!
His name is Mazaki!
His name is Mazaki!
8k30jl.jpg
 
KasumiJLA said:
I bough this one to have fun dusting off my natural stones during my downtime at the store between two customers. Has anyone tried this blacksmith?

View attachment 309791
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Yoshimitsu Kajiya Nakiri-bocho 155mm Shirogami #2 Is the smaller tall Nakiri in my pic above. Nice blades. I have only sharpened so far. Takes a nice edge and is a great cutter. He seems to know what he is doing with W2.
I plan to polish out the sandblasting and either move the handle up no neck or replace and move up no neck. I think it will be a patina monster once polished.
Oh and you should get a nice gift from his wife
 
KasumiJLA said:
I bough this one to have fun dusting off my natural stones during my downtime at the store between two customers. Has anyone tried this blacksmith?

View attachment 309791
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If smith is junichi ide ,my profile pic cleaver is custom order from him via nobishiro store few yrs ago. Love it ! Imagine getting custom for 120€.
Bit ruff around edges but super bang for buck. Its aogami #2 185x75mm.
“Shape like cck but tad smaller”
Everything went smooth & easy.

2 yrs only petty & this mini cleaver.
Great minimal combo for home.

Edit:copped hes shirogami #2 Ss clad kogata santoku same time & its sharpest knife i used ever. F&f was good
 
KasumiJLA said:
I bough this one to have fun dusting off my natural stones during my downtime at the store between two customers. Has anyone tried this blacksmith?

View attachment 309791
Click to expand...
I've been dealing with Ide-san for a few years now. He's a one man operation but his wife and mother help with parts of the business too.
He tells me he's a young blacksmith, mid 40s, so he's only been forging for 25 years now.

I use a few of his knives daily in the kitchen and I love them, he's done custom for me but his general knives and products are great. He free forges so there is variation of specs in his knives, generally the weights are fairly close. His knives are not super tall so if you need training wheels (50mm height +) for your knife you might find Yosimitu Kajiya a bit small, I've have noticed his aogami knives are taller than his Shirogami. He doesn't do wide bevel grinds but a very very thin convex, his Nakiri's are super thin. His grinds can sometimes be a little off, but nothing a few stone sessions can't fix.
 
bsfsu said:
I've been dealing with Ide-san for a few years now. He's a one man operation but his wife and mother help with parts of the business too.
He tells me he's a young blacksmith, mid 40s, so he's only been forging for 25 years now.

I use a few of his knives daily in the kitchen and I love them, he's done custom for me but his general knives and products are great. He free forges so there is variation of specs in his knives, generally the weights are fairly close. His knives are not super tall so if you need training wheels (50mm height +) for your knife you might find Yosimitu Kajiya a bit small, I've have noticed his aogami knives are taller than his Shirogami. He doesn't do wide bevel grinds but a very very thin convex, his Nakiri's are super thin. His grinds can sometimes be a little off, but nothing a few stone sessions can't fix.
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Thanks man! Yes I was looking for a shorter gyuto and this one is 45mm, it will be perfect. I don't expect to get stone ready kireha but it will be part of the fun of hunting low spots. Can't wait to see how this gyuto will perform 🙃
 
KasumiJLA said:
Thanks man! Yes I was looking for a shorter gyuto and this one is 45mm, it will be perfect. I don't expect to get stone ready kireha but it will be part of the fun of hunting low spots. Can't wait to see how this gyuto will perform 🙃
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This is my daily knife that Ide-san gave me a few years ago, it sharpens like a dream.
I can generally get has knives down to 30 BESS, with a micro bevel. He has said to me he just wants to make sharp knives for everyone, and he does this very well!
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I'm looking at the 165 nakiris at KnifeJapan... any favourites?

I have a Mikami already. I was considering Ikenami but I already have a santoku from them (which I love, just looking for variety).

My favorite nakiri ever was an Itinomonn, 165 x 50mm, 145g (which I sold). Classic midweight grind, not too thick, not too thin. In hand feels nimble yet stiff and slight blade forward. Very well balanced. I'm looking for something similar.

Filtering by height and weight we have Minomo, Fukamizu, Nojiyama Marunaka and Shiro Kunimitsu. Any feedback on those?
 
Choppin said:
I'm looking at the 165 nakiris at KnifeJapan... any favourites?

I have a Mikami already. I was considering Ikenami but I already have a santoku from them (which I love, just looking for variety).

My favorite nakiri ever was an Itinomonn, 165 x 50mm, 145g (which I sold). Classic midweight grind, not too thick, not too thin. In hand feels nimble yet stiff and slight blade forward. Very well balanced. I'm looking for something similar.

Filtering by height and weight we have Minomo, Fukamizu, Nojiyama Marunaka and Shiro Kunimitsu. Any feedback on those?
Click to expand...

I like my Homi and Sasaoka. The Homi is a little more of all rounder and the Sasaoka is thin with concave bevels. I prefer the Homi.

If I remember right, Michael said his one-knife is an Ikenami nakiri.
 
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