Yoshikazu Ikeda knives - anyone has experience with them?

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Krakorak

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Yoshikazu Ikeda seems to be definitely one of the best smiths in Sakai, but most suprisingly, there doesn’t seem to as much information and feedback on his knives as I would expect for such an extremely skilled and famous craftsman. I had the opportunity to try for a few days one of his gyutos (240 mm White #2) and was amazed by the steel as well as by the general feel of the knife (only it was a wide bevel gyuto and I don’t like wide bevels much). And I am since that trying to get as much information as possible about his gyutos as there are several lines sold by several vendors, have read probably everything what is available on the internet, but still miss more direct feedback from owners of his knives (particularly gyutos as I am looking for a gyuto)…So maybe some of you could help me, any comments will be appreciated!
 
I guess I should buy one before a Shigefusa-like hype will burst :)

I am also very curios about Ikeda knives - dear fellow knife nuts, please share :)
 
Ditto. Be interesting to see which brands he does high-end OEM work for.
 
I owning two of them.
One in w#2 and one in b#2.
Both great knives, convex grind super thin blade with a medium thick spine.
On the blue version choil and spine coming rounded.
Handles are big and large for a perfect balance right in front of the heel.
Definitely a must try.

1467114974420.jpg


1467114994736.jpg
 
Yoshikazu Ikeda and his late elder brother Tatsuo Ikeda are definitely some of the best knife makers in Sakai. His is the current president of the Sakai knife maker association (which use to be Tatsuo Ikeda).
Don't have too much Yoshikazu but here is a youtube vid of Tatsuo (imo they should be at the same level). Around 20 to 21 minutes is quite cool.

[video=youtube;_ZaNVWEC_fY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZaNVWEC_fY[/video]
 
preizzo said:
I owning two of them.
One in w#2 and one in b#2.
Both great knives, convex grind super thin blade with a medium thick spine.
On the blue version choil and spine coming rounded.
Handles are big and large for a perfect balance right in front of the heel.
Definitely a must try.
Click to expand...


Thanks a lot, preizzo! Isn't' the damascus Blue 1, rather than Blue 2? And does the White 2 come from Cleancut or Epicedge? And how tall is it at the spine - if you kindly could measure it...And what about the distal taper? In that I have tried, there was a rather indistinct one, however followed by a very thinly ground and useful tip, on the other hand - as far as I could see from the photos - on the Shigehiro knives as well as on those from EE and Cleancut, there should be a quite nice, gradual one...
 
pkjames said:
Yoshikazu Ikeda and his late elder brother Tatsuo Ikeda are definitely some of the best knife makers in Sakai. His is the current president of the Sakai knife maker association (which use to be Tatsuo Ikeda).
Don't have too much Yoshikazu but here is a youtube vid of Tatsuo (imo they should be at the same level). Around 20 to 21 minutes is quite cool.

[video=youtube;_ZaNVWEC_fY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZaNVWEC_fY[/video]
Click to expand...

Thanks, James, that's really cool indeed:)!
 
Yes it s b#1 😊
The height on the 240 it S about 49 mm and on the 210 it S 45 mm.
On the b #1 the distal taper it a not so pronounced, tip it s quite thick comparing to the 240 mm.
the 240 mm the thickness at the handle it S 3,5 mm and it taper down all the way up to the Super thin tip.
I bought both from cleancut.se
Epicurean edge has crazy prices on the b#1 line 😂😂
 
I have that shirogami 240mm gyuto and when I first used it I was blown away. Egde was super thin behind the edge and it just dropped through everything. Sadly I think it was bit too thin because it micro chipped quite badly and maybe because of my sharpening skills I can't get it cut as great when it was otb. I think I have to try thinning it much more agressive. Don't get me wrong it is still great cutter. Almost as good as red handle Takamura. Very nice to sharpen and when stropped daily cuts very well.

Here's my IG video of cutting cherry tomatoes. It was sharpened maybe week ago and stropped lightly before video. https://www.instagram.com/p/BG1Kg5vJfg6/
 
You already got part of the answer within the past contributions, but probably nobody mentioned Bernalcutlery so far, they have a nice selection currently...And that I have the opportunity to test, was sold under the Ichimonji brand, for a very, very good price...

gic said:
Who sells them??
Click to expand...
 
preizzo said:
Migaki line it S the same as the w#2 ikeda, exactly same knife
Click to expand...

My impression, based on the photos and measurements I have seen, was the same - those from EE and Cleancut are probably exactly the same, those from Bernalcutlery not so sure (but maybe as well), at some photos they seemed to be slightly taller at the heel and also a bit more "bellyish"...but it might be only a fallacy...
 
Tonsku38 said:
I have that shirogami 240mm gyuto and when I first used it I was blown away. Egde was super thin behind the edge and it just dropped through everything. Sadly I think it was bit too thin because it micro chipped quite badly and maybe because of my sharpening skills I can't get it cut as great when it was otb. I think I have to try thinning it much more agressive. Don't get me wrong it is still great cutter. Almost as good as red handle Takamura. Very nice to sharpen and when stropped daily cuts very well.

Here's my IG video of cutting cherry tomatoes. It was sharpened maybe week ago and stropped lightly before video. https://www.instagram.com/p/BG1Kg5vJfg6/
Click to expand...

And nice video, by the way, thanks for it!
 
labor of love said:
I wonder if there's much difference between the ikeda migaki line at epicurean edge and shigehiro knives.
http://www.epicedge.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1580&cat=Ikeda+Migaki
Click to expand...

Hard to say, Sam from Buttermilksupply would probably be able to comment it in detail, but the height at the heel, gradual distal taper seem to be basically the same, although the dimensions on EE are given somewhat strange (they write there 1,75 inch height for a 240 mm migaki, but when measuring it directly from the photo, it is distinctly more, about 49 mm, as far as I can remember)...but Shigehiro 240 should weight only about 192 g, whereas 240 migaki from EE about 243, what is a big difference...and would indicate a different, more robust grind...But for instance Josh from Bernalcutlery reported 240 B1 damascus to weigh about 219 g...and mentioned the cladding there to be thicker than on the migaki ones...so I assume, they should be around 200 g, so comparable rather to Shigehiro (he hadn't any 240 mm migaki to measure it directly when I asked him...)
 
preizzo said:
Yes it s b#1 😊
The height on the 240 it S about 49 mm and on the 210 it S 45 mm.
On the b #1 the distal taper it a not so pronounced, tip it s quite thick comparing to the 240 mm.
the 240 mm the thickness at the handle it S 3,5 mm and it taper down all the way up to the Super thin tip.
I bought both from cleancut.se
Epicurean edge has crazy prices on the b#1 line 😂😂
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot:)!
 
It's not that wide bevel. Those are thinning marks.
I have used it over 6 months and still not sure do I love it or hate it.
 
Matus said:
I guess I should buy one before a Shigefusa-like hype will burst :)
Click to expand...

Sakai smiths will never get the hype they may deserve. Western knife nerds prefer the romantic idea of some old man all alone in the countryside. I heard there's a 90 year old swordsmith who forges knives with a secret steel clad with iron blended with the blood of free running beasts. He only works during certain moon cycles and follows Rudolph Steiners homeopathic preps for the farm where he makes his tamahagane. Word has it he's basically an incarnation of the dark elf, Eol, who forged the legendary blades anglachel and anguirel.
Believe it people.
 
mikedtran said:
The Shigehiro is much heavier and thicker on the spine than the normal Ikeda line from my knowledge.
Click to expand...

I am not so sure, first because of the measurements given by those vendors and also because of the photos - look here: http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Yoshikazu_Ikeda_knives/

I made a gallery of photos of Ikeda 240 White 2 gyutos, first from Cleancut, second Shigehiro knives from Buttermilk, and third from Epicedge...Sorry that I have used photos of some members here, hopefully nobody will be wrong about it, its just for illustration...The description what is what can be found below the particular pictures...

By the way - here is a gallery of Ikeda wide bevel gyuto I mentioned within my previous contributions: http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Ichimonji_240_mm_White_2_gyuto_forged_by_Yoshikazu_Ikeda/
 
It really is hard to tell a difference visually, for me atleast. Epicurean edge does have the 240mm in stock. After kkf discount it's about the same as buttermilks shigehiro but also comes with octagonal handle( much preferred for a lefty like me) and saya. But it also has a small exposed machi gap which I'm never crazy about.
 
Krakorak said:
I am not so sure, first because of the measurements given by those vendors and also because of the photos - look here: http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Yoshikazu_Ikeda_knives/

I made a gallery of photos of Ikeda 240 White 2 gyutos, first from Cleancut, second Shigehiro knives from Buttermilk, and third from Epicedge...Sorry that I have used photos of some members here, hopefully nobody will be wrong about it, its just for illustration...The description what is what can be found below the particular pictures...

By the way - here is a gallery of Ikeda wide bevel gyuto I mentioned within my previous contributions: http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Ichimonji_240_mm_White_2_gyuto_forged_by_Yoshikazu_Ikeda/
Click to expand...

I'm having a difficult time navigating that clear cut website, are ikeda 240mm gyutos in stock there?
Where did you pick up that ikeda wide bevel? Looks pretty sweet!
 
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