Makoto Kurosaki

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I don't know about his SG2 but I had one of his 240 W#2 gyutos and was very impressed.
 
i know ck2gg had a pass around and people wrote a few reviews on them. iirc fit/finish ranged from ok to good, performance had no complaints,
 
I actually just got the 210mm yesterday and I've made dinner for two days so I can't really speak about longevity much and I'm only a home cook. However, I've got to say the fit and finish on mine was excellent, the cherry ferrule/maple handle feels amazing(and looks great), and the choil and spine are smoothed out perfectly. It was my first laserish knife and compared to a Masamoto VG it blows it out of the water. The OOTB edge was shaving sharp and it still feels great. I especially like how it's a touch taller than a lot of gyutos I've tried so it feels solid while still being really light. I'd definitely recommend.

P.S. if you want to see pics I posted in the newest knife buy thread yesterday. Happy shopping!
 
Makoto has excellent grinds on his knives that are pure performance driven. He has been a big influence on Yu, who now has grinds on his knives very similar to Makoto.
 
I'm itching to try a Makoto. I've only seen rave reviews... Andrew, do you have a weight?
 
bahamaroot said:
Makoto has excellent grinds on his knives that are pure performance driven. He has been a big influence on Yu, who now has grinds on his knives very similar to Makoto.
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They produce similar grinds. I haven’t tried Yu’s work, but it’s on my list. Makoto is the older brother and spent years apprenticing while Yu was making a name for himself in the commercial world.

Here is the knife, brand new, before a passaround.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj0QbdzFn7S/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=171jt0vb1c6x8

I have replaced the handle, nothing wrong with the stock handle.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs6iwNsBe84/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1gzfz7uek200g

The only complaint from the passaround was food stickage to the blade.
 
bahamaroot said:
Makoto has excellent grinds on his knives that are pure performance driven. He has been a big influence on Yu, who now has grinds on his knives very similar to Makoto.
Click to expand...

Wait wait, isn't Yu the more experienced knife maker? He certainly is a bigger name.
 
I have his 240mm W2 gyuto -- super thin behind the edge, although ootb sharpness was "meh". No complaints otherwise. A great performing knife with solid F&F -- very underpriced, IMO. I'm a sucker for rosewood handles otherwise I'd be all over that SG2 Sakura line...
 
I think i saw a vid on youtube where yu sent out his blades for grinding to a brother. i might be wrong though, my memory is a like a goldfish sometimes.
 
From what I understand, Makoto is Yu's older brother, but Yu started blacksmithing before Makoto. From what I understand he gets forged knives from other blacksmiths at Takefu knife village and grinds them to his specs? And I think Yu's newest knives Ive seen does indeed look to be influenced by Makoto's grind/sharpening
 
Viggetorr said:
Wait wait, isn't Yu the more experienced knife maker? He certainly is a bigger name.
Click to expand...
Yu is the more experienced Smith but Makoto is the more experience sharpener. Makoto, when he first started making his own knives, worked in Yu's shop and you saw an evolution in Yu's grinds during this period. Makoto and Yu still collaborate on projects too. The Fujin line was a collaboration of the two.
 
dan said:
I'm itching to try a Makoto. I've only seen rave reviews... Andrew, do you have a weight?
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Hmmm all I can really say is that its lighter than my already light 6ish oz Masamoto, and for a 210 it’s probably around 4 oz. The handle is really light which brings the balance forward, so it’s still comfortable without feeling unsubstantial
 
I'm going to have to try one some day soon. I like both the Ryusei AS and the Sakura SG2 -- tough to decide!
 
bahamaroot said:
Yu is the more experienced Smith but Makoto is the more experience sharpener. Makoto, when he first started making his own knives, worked in Yu's shop and you saw an evolution in Yu's grinds during this period. Makoto and Yu still collaborate on projects too. The Fujin line was a collaboration of the two.
Click to expand...

Ah, thanks for the clarification.
 
dan said:
I'm going to have to try one some day soon. I like both the Ryusei AS and the Sakura SG2 -- tough to decide!
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The SG2 has more of a flat, the AS seems to be a gentle curve.

I want the AS, I also want sone of Yu’s knives.

My only MINOR complaints about the SG2, 1)lasered kanji, 2) I think the HT could have easily gone higher than 62.

I just want kanji that will last. Makoto’s instagram feed talks about embracing technology, which is where the laser approach cones from.
 
Bensbites said:
The SG2 has more of a flat, the AS seems to be a gentle curve.

I want the AS, I also want sone of Yu’s knives.

My only MINOR complaints about the SG2, 1)lasered kanji, 2) I think the HT could have easily gone higher than 62.

I just want kanji that will last. Makoto’s instagram feed talks about embracing technology, which is where the laser approach cones from.
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Agreed on the kanji front. I like the profile of the Sakura SG2 series (flatter), but I wish the core steel was carbon.
 
The SG2 ones are pure lasers. They remind me similar performance to shibata. The white stainless clad were thicker spines, didn't feel like lasers. I really liked the white one
 
So the kanji is just a very thin laser etching? Realistically how much use would it take to wear that down though? I really want to try a makoto sg2 now, but I need to actually wait till my GS+ arrives and gets some use...
 
I can't attest to how durable the laser etching is, all I know is it's not as visible, nice or cool as stamped or chiseled kanji. It is the one, and for now the only, handicap I find with his knives. The AS Ryusei is the only line of his, that I'm aware of, that doesn't have the laser etched kanji.
 
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bahamaroot said:
I can't attest to how durable the laser etching is, all I know is it's not as visible, nice or cool as stampeted or chiseled kanji. It is the one, and for now the only, handicap I find with his knives.
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Pretty minor flaw luckily, maybe he'll go CNC on the kanji someday.
 
I’ll follow this thread. K&S have Kurosaki in stock right now ... and being Australian ...
Anybody have any comparisons on how the line compares to Sukenari or other sub-$1000 blades? It’s so difficult to buy sight unseen and not trialled them in person.
I’m not 100% convinced with the scratched finish appearance though.
 
dsk said:
So the kanji is just a very thin laser etching? Realistically how much use would it take to wear that down though? I really want to try a makoto sg2 now, but I need to actually wait till my GS+ arrives and gets some use...
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This laser etching is definitely more pronounce than others I've seen, instead of being screened on over the metal it's more like a machine cutting into it, it would definitely take a lot of work for it to go away.
 
stringer said:
The scratches look amazing, but how would they feel rubbing against your knuckles for a few hours...
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I've never done a many-hours prep session before, do you think you would feel those scratches or was that sarcasm? Hammered finishes get to me real quick, though. I'll get tired of a hammered finish after just 10-15 minutes if they are deep hammer marks.
 
andrewlefilms said:
This laser etching is definitely more pronounce than others I've seen, instead of being screened on over the metal it's more like a machine cutting into it, it would definitely take a lot of work for it to go away.
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Good to know, it's tough to tell from pictures online.
 
dan said:
I've never done a many-hours prep session before, do you think you would feel those scratches or was that sarcasm? Hammered finishes get to me real quick, though. I'll get tired of a hammered finish after just 10-15 minutes if they are deep hammer marks.
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Haven't tried the scractched pattern ("fujin"), but I have no troujble at all imagining they can get uncomfortable scratching against your knuckles. I've heard some people have even had small bits of food getting stuck in there.
 
dan said:
I've never done a many-hours prep session before, do you think you would feel those scratches or was that sarcasm? Hammered finishes get to me real quick, though. I'll get tired of a hammered finish after just 10-15 minutes if they are deep hammer marks.
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Definitely not sarcasm. I remember seeing pictures of them in an old thread over the summer when no one was carrying them yet. The derma ergonomics was what I immediately pondered. I have not owned many knives with any kind of hammered finish. Mostly monosteels and a few san mai. I don't want flashy stuff at work and it has to be comfortable for hours at a time. And non textured blades are way easier to keep clean and sanitized. These are a beautiful statement knife, but not real practical (at least in a professional environment). It would work fine at home and it's definitely badass.
 
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