Devon_Steven
Senior Member
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2014
- Messages
- 324
- Reaction score
- 11
Itinomonn Kurouchi Nashiji 210mm Wa Gyuto
I should start by saying this was my first handmade Japanese knife so I cant really compare it to any others.
For several years I had been using a Furi (180mm-ish) Santoku. Id been quite happy with the performance of that knife (not knowing anything about real Japanese kitchen knives), but that knife had become unusable because its bolster had made effective sharpening impossible. So, last October, while searching for best santoku, I found KKF and quickly discovered that the best santoku is probably a gyuto :biggrin: And then, with some great advice from KKF'ers chinacats and timthebeaver, I bought this Itinomonn.
The knife came from Maksim at Japanese Natural Stones in Denmark. Dispatch and delivery couldn't have been quicker. Altogether a very nice shopping experience.
Specifications
From Maksims web site...
Steel: V2
Handle: Ho wood D shape
Approx. measurements:
Handle Length: 130mm
Handle Width: 20mm
Handle to Tip Length: 360mm
Heel to Tip Length: 210mm
Blade Height at Heel: 50mm
Width of Spine at Handle: 5,2mm
Width of Spine Above Heel: 4,3mm
Width of Spine at Middle: 1,7mm
Width of Spine 1cm from the tip: 0,8mm
Weight- 155g
The knife I received weighed 164g, is 216mm heel to tip and the blade height at the heel was 49mm. The knife has an s-grind (concave from spine to shinogi and convex from shinogi to edge).
Finish and handle
The knife is appears to be very well-made, has very good fit and finish and is very comfortable to use. In fact, using it is an absolute pleasure! The handle was perfectly presented and very comfortable and the joint between handle and blade was very nice and sealed with wax. The knife arrived with a sharp and useable edge.
Performance
Im a home cook and use the knife daily, mostly for vegetable work. As you might expect, with this being my first handmade Japanese knife, I have been delighted with the thinness of the blade and the ease of cutting. For food release, I dont have another similar knife to compare the Itinomonn to. I do notice some foods sticking to the blade (e.g. zucchini and potato slices) but I dont feel that this hampers my work.
Photographs
This is how the knife looks now. Most of the black scale in the kurouchi has been washed away leaving a very nice nashiji pattern.
The choil shots show how the knife looks following one full sharpening (i.e. shinogi moved upwards along with the edge).
Equipment for sharpening
KKF also provided me with the knowledge to replace my ancient Norton Pike India Oilstone with some better equipment.
From Stu at toolsfromjapan I got the special offer Sigma Power ceramic 1000-6000 set that contained:
1 x Sigma Power Select II #1200;
1x Sigma Power Jinzo-renge ceramic #6000;
1 x iWood diamond Plate #300 (single sided); and
1 x Suehiro 'Free size' style base, with tray.
And I added to that a 400 grit Naniwa Professional (the new Chosera). I bought this last one to refresh a number of older, stainless, knives that I have.
Also pictured are a piece of balsa for stropping and 800 and 1200 grit wet and dry for polishing.
Summary
Great knife, wish I'd bought a good knife years ago, thanks to KKF members for all the kitchen knife knowledge, and special thanks Jon Brioda for those invaluable sharpening videos.
Steven
I should start by saying this was my first handmade Japanese knife so I cant really compare it to any others.
For several years I had been using a Furi (180mm-ish) Santoku. Id been quite happy with the performance of that knife (not knowing anything about real Japanese kitchen knives), but that knife had become unusable because its bolster had made effective sharpening impossible. So, last October, while searching for best santoku, I found KKF and quickly discovered that the best santoku is probably a gyuto :biggrin: And then, with some great advice from KKF'ers chinacats and timthebeaver, I bought this Itinomonn.
The knife came from Maksim at Japanese Natural Stones in Denmark. Dispatch and delivery couldn't have been quicker. Altogether a very nice shopping experience.
Specifications
From Maksims web site...
Steel: V2
Handle: Ho wood D shape
Approx. measurements:
Handle Length: 130mm
Handle Width: 20mm
Handle to Tip Length: 360mm
Heel to Tip Length: 210mm
Blade Height at Heel: 50mm
Width of Spine at Handle: 5,2mm
Width of Spine Above Heel: 4,3mm
Width of Spine at Middle: 1,7mm
Width of Spine 1cm from the tip: 0,8mm
Weight- 155g
The knife I received weighed 164g, is 216mm heel to tip and the blade height at the heel was 49mm. The knife has an s-grind (concave from spine to shinogi and convex from shinogi to edge).
Finish and handle
The knife is appears to be very well-made, has very good fit and finish and is very comfortable to use. In fact, using it is an absolute pleasure! The handle was perfectly presented and very comfortable and the joint between handle and blade was very nice and sealed with wax. The knife arrived with a sharp and useable edge.
Performance
Im a home cook and use the knife daily, mostly for vegetable work. As you might expect, with this being my first handmade Japanese knife, I have been delighted with the thinness of the blade and the ease of cutting. For food release, I dont have another similar knife to compare the Itinomonn to. I do notice some foods sticking to the blade (e.g. zucchini and potato slices) but I dont feel that this hampers my work.
Photographs
This is how the knife looks now. Most of the black scale in the kurouchi has been washed away leaving a very nice nashiji pattern.
The choil shots show how the knife looks following one full sharpening (i.e. shinogi moved upwards along with the edge).
Equipment for sharpening
KKF also provided me with the knowledge to replace my ancient Norton Pike India Oilstone with some better equipment.
From Stu at toolsfromjapan I got the special offer Sigma Power ceramic 1000-6000 set that contained:
1 x Sigma Power Select II #1200;
1x Sigma Power Jinzo-renge ceramic #6000;
1 x iWood diamond Plate #300 (single sided); and
1 x Suehiro 'Free size' style base, with tray.
And I added to that a 400 grit Naniwa Professional (the new Chosera). I bought this last one to refresh a number of older, stainless, knives that I have.
Also pictured are a piece of balsa for stropping and 800 and 1200 grit wet and dry for polishing.
Summary
Great knife, wish I'd bought a good knife years ago, thanks to KKF members for all the kitchen knife knowledge, and special thanks Jon Brioda for those invaluable sharpening videos.
Steven