My collection

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Joined
Feb 4, 2017
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Location
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I'm a home cook who accumulated enough knives lately that it's fair to say I have a collection. I thought I would share it here and update now and then as it evolves. A few years ago, I bought a Masamoto VG as my first Japanese knife, which I found impressive at the time and still use for rougher tasks. Eventually, I learned of even better knives, so i bought a Kurosaki AS and Masakage Koishi, which were far more impressive for both their performance and craftsmanship. Since then, I have been fascinated by trying different styles and makers, especially those with long traditions or interesting stories, but only recently did I really go all in on exploring. Now, I have a small collection, which I hope to expand and then focus over time.

IMG_0414.jpg


From left to right:
Kurosaki R2 Hammered 150 mm petty
Ishikawa W#2 165 mm nakiri
Yoshimune W#1 165 mm nakiri
Kurosaki AS 210 mm gyuto
Konosuke Fujiyama FM B#1 240 mm gyuto
Munetoshi W#2 240 mm gyuto
Masakage Koishi 240 mm gyuto
Konosuke HD2 240 mm gyuto
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 240 mm gyuto
Takeda NAS Medium gyuto
CCK 1303 cleaver
Moritaka AS 130 mm petty

Not shown: Masamoto VG 210 mm gyuto, Dexter 7" heavy-duty cleaver, and Victorinox bread, slicing, and paring knives

I also have a Teruyasu Fujiwara Maboroshi 180 mm gyuto on the way.
 
Nice gathering of blades. Which one is your favourite?
 
Nice gathering of blades. Which one is your favourite?

Thanks! My favorites so far are the Konosuke Fujiyama FM and the Toyama - both acquired in the last few weeks. Instantly became favorites. They are both well balanced and match my cutting styles well, even though they are quite different knives. I also still like my Kurosaki AS, and the Takeda and CCK are fun. Still deciding on how I feel about some of the other gyutos, though.
 
Nice Collection.
The takeda allmost looks like a santoku.
Is the cleaver a veggie cleaver? I'm super curious about those knives. [emoji85]
 
Nice Collection.
The takeda allmost looks like a santoku.
Is the cleaver a veggie cleaver? I'm super curious about those knives. [emoji85]

The Takeda does look like a giant santoku. I think mine is over 250 mm. Its a unique knife but great for food release, chopping, and the height is nice for moving food off the cutting board. It can wedge a bit on hard produce, due to the grind, but that same grind is what makes it excel at food release.

Yes, the cleaver is a veggie cleaver, also great for chopping and doubles as a bench scraper. Really good value too; not very expensive for the quality.

I find both these knives fun to use and recommend them.
 
I'm a home cook who accumulated enough knives lately that it's fair to say I have a collection. I thought I would share it here and update now and then as it evolves. A few years ago, I bought a Masamoto VG as my first Japanese knife, which I found impressive at the time and still use for rougher tasks. Eventually, I learned of even better knives, so i bought a Kurosaki AS and Masakage Koishi, which were far more impressive for both their performance and craftsmanship. Since then, I have been fascinated by trying different styles and makers, especially those with long traditions or interesting stories, but only recently did I really go all in on exploring. Now, I have a small collection, which I hope to expand and then focus over time.

View attachment 69097

From left to right:
Kurosaki R2 Hammered 150 mm petty
Ishikawa W#2 165 mm nakiri
Yoshimune W#1 165 mm nakiri
Kurosaki AS 210 mm gyuto
Konosuke Fujiyama FM B#1 240 mm gyuto
Munetoshi W#2 240 mm gyuto
Masakage Koishi 240 mm gyuto
Konosuke HD2 240 mm gyuto
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 240 mm gyuto
Takeda NAS Medium gyuto
CCK 1303 cleaver
Moritaka AS 130 mm petty

Not shown: Masamoto VG 210 mm gyuto, Dexter 7" heavy-duty cleaver, and Victorinox bread, slicing, and paring knives

I also have a Teruyasu Fujiwara Maboroshi 180 mm gyuto on the way.
look at the beast next to the cleaver
 
A few additions over the last month :)

IMG_0555.jpg


Okeya W#2 24 mm wide kogatana
Okamitsu B#1 55 mm ginger knife
Teruyasu Fujiwara Maboroshi no Meito W#1 180 mm gyuto
Shigemitsu Ito Tamahagane 180 mm santoku
Yoshimitsu Tamahagane 165 mm nakiri
Yoshimitsu Tamahagane 210 mm gyuto
Jiro Tsuchime W#1 240 mm gyuto

Clearly, I have taken an interest in tamahagane knives - always impressive when the craftsman makes his own steel! On another note, the Jiro might be in the running for one of my favorites now. Good balance and heft (260 g). Great profile with tall heel, long flat spot, at the back and thin tip. Really nice tagayasan handle. Overall, a work of art and great performer.

I also got rid of the Konosuke HD2, and I am thinking of parting with the Masakage Koishi 240, Masamoto VG 210, Yoshimune nakiri, and Dexter cleaver. Gotta make room for more!
 
Been getting into sharpening and went a little nuts on stones. Started with synthetics and now on to natural stones. Mostly I use them for knives but I also have some woodworking tools and a kamisori.

Synthetic stones
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Natural stones
A219D60E-3622-46B0-8297-687F2425FEF5.jpeg

EC3F262C-C7FB-48BC-98F0-98091BB9B2C0.jpeg


I need to update these pics later with better lighting.

I haven’t had a chance to try all these yet, but among synthetics I really like the Shapton Glass 500, Shapton Pro 2000, Naniwa Pro 800 and 3000. Rika and Kitayama are nice of course. Still need to try the Gesshin stones. Among the natural stones, I really like the Aizu from Watanabe and the Jun Sei Honyama from Bernal. The coarse stones are kind of fun. Just got the Shouboudani from JNS and Ohira Tomae so haven’t used them.
 
Updates to my collection:
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TOP
Gesshin Hide B#1 290 mm Yanagiba
Gesshin Hide B#1 195 mm Kamagata Usuba
Gesshin Hide B#1 186 mm Deba
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 303 mm Sujihiki
Tosa Tadayoshi B#1 277 mm Sujihiki
Migoto W#1 259 mm Gyuto
Takeda NAS Medium 255 mm Gyuto
Takeda AS Medium 253 mm Gyuto
Jiro Tsuchime W#1 250 mm Gyuto (#54)
Kisuke (Manaka) B#1 245 mm Gyuto
Mazaki Kurouchi Nashiji W#2 244 mm Gyuto (2020)
Toyama Damascus B#2 242 mm Gyuto
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 245 mm Gyuto
Tetsujin B#2 Metal Flow 232 mm Gyuto
Takada Suiboku B#1 230 mm Gyuto
Konosuke Fujiyama FM B#1 230 mm Gyuto
Gesshin Kagekiyo W#1 226 mm Gyuto
Kurosaki AS 213 mm Gyuto
Henckels 8" Chef's Knife (grandmother's ~50 year old knife; repaired broken tip)

BOTTOM
Takahashi W#2 110 mm Fruit Knife
Otsuka B#1 100 mm Petty
Yoshimitsu Tamahagane 210 mm Gyuto
Yoshimitsu Tamahagane 165 mm Nakiri
Shigemitsu Ito Tamahagane 180 mm Santoku
Zakuri B#1 183 mm Tosagata
Tsubaya (Miyazaki) B#2 182 mm Hakata
CCK 1303 210 mm Small Chinese Cleaver
Watanabe Pro B#2 175 mm Nakiri
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 172 mm Nakiri
Ishikawa W#2 165 mm Nakiri
Munetoshi W#2 170 mm Butcher
Kurosaki R2 Hammered 148 mm Petty
Okamitsu B#1 58 mm Ginger Knife

Not shown: Zihr 600 mm Turkish Mincing Knife, kiridashi, a few single-bevel knives for practicing sharpening and polishing.
 
I love this last picture because my collection is starting to look like your first post. The future looks bright! Any advice on the message track with the significant other justifying more knives than days of the month or should I start hiding them?! 😂
 
Haha, no sage relationship advice from me, but probably better to discuss openly, at least at first or from time to time, to set the broad parameters, rather than hiding it! I justify it as reasonable to have a hobby that my income can support after all the necessities and savings. Plus she gets gourmet meals routinely, and here we all know that 15 gyutos are the key to good home cooking! 🙂
 
How do you like the shigemitsu ito? Not much info to be found regarding these?
 
incredible collection! Favorites?
So hard to pick because they are all good in different ways. But if I have to then my favorite gyutos are probably the Migoto and Toyama (all of them), followed closely by Takada, Konosuke Fujiyama and Jiro. Still need to use the Tetsujin and Kagekiyo more to compare.

Nice. How is the handle feel on the Otsuka?
It’s awesome. It fits my hand perfectly. Feels like it should be a big steak knife but works as a small petty.
 
I need to find some time to take a new picture, but here is the current collection (a few posted for sale and need to sell a few more beyond that):

KNIVES, JAPANESE
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 303 mm Sujihiki
Tou Honjyoji B#2 300 mm Sakimaru Sujihiki
Gesshin Hide B#1 290 mm Yanagiba
Migoto W#1 290 mm Sujihiki
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 276 mm Gyuto (iron clad)
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 273 mm Sujihiki
Tetsujin Kasumi B#2 262 mm Sujihiki
Migoto W#1 259 mm Gyuto
Migoto W#2 259 mm Sujihiki
Takeda NAS Medium 255 mm Gyuto
Kawachi W#2 252 mm Gyuto
Jiro Tsuchime W#1 250 mm Gyuto (#54)
Okubo B#2 250 mm Takenoko-Nakiri
Wakui Seiryu B#2 248 mm Gyuto
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 245 mm Gyuto
Toyama Kurouchi B#2 244 mm Gyuto
Kisuke (Manaka) B#1 245 mm Gyuto
Mazaki Kurouchi Nashiji W#2 244 mm Gyuto (2020)
Kisuke (Manaka) B#1 243 mm Gyuto (CKC workhorse)
Migoto B#1 Suminagashi 243 mm Gyuto
Toyama Damascus B#2 242 mm Gyuto
Kochi Migaki 241 mm Gyuto
Hinokuni W#1 240mm Nakiri
Tetsujin B#2 Metal Flow 232 mm Gyuto
Takada Suiboku B#1 230 mm Gyuto
Konosuke Fujiyama FM B#1 230 mm Gyuto
Migoto W#1 229 mm Gyuto
Gesshin Kagekiyo W#1 226 mm Gyuto
Migoto B#1 223 mm Chuka
Kurosaki AS 213 mm Gyuto
Yoshimitsu Tamahagane 210 mm Gyuto
CCK 1303 210 mm Small Chinese Cleaver
Toyama Damascus B#2 202 mm Nakiri
Gesshin Hide B#1 195 mm Kamagata Usuba
Gesshin Hide B#1 186 mm Deba
Migoto Suminagashi B#1 184 mm Petty
Tsubaki (Miyazaki) B#2 182 mm Hakata
Shigemitsu Ito Tamahagane 180 mm Santoku
Mikami B#1 174 mm Uo Bocho
Toyama Kurouchi B#2 176 mm Nakiri
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 172 mm Nakiri
Munetoshi W#2 170 mm Butcher
Yoshimitsu Tamahagane 165 mm Nakiri
Ishikawa W#2 165 mm Nakiri
Tetsujin Kasumi B#2 157 mm Petty
Mikami B#1 156 mm Nakiri
Yoshikane Nashiji SKD 154 mm Petty
Toyama Damascus B#2 151 mm Petty
Kurosaki R2 Hammered 148 mm Petty
Mikami B#1 147 mm Yanagiba
Migoto W#2 142 mm Petty
Takada Suiboku B#1 126 mm Petty
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 124 mm Mukimono
Takahashi W#2 110 mm Fruit Knife
Otsuka B#1 100 mm Petty
Okamitsu B#1 58 mm Ginger Knife

KNIVES, NON-JAPANESE
Zihr 600 mm Turkish Mincing Knife
Markin ШХ-15 263 mm Gyuto
Birch & Bevel (Isasmedjan) Wrought ApexUltra 257 mm Gyuto
ShiHan Telegraph W2 248 mm Gyuto
Merion Forge Wrought 1.2562 249 mm Gyuto
the nine B#2 235 mm Gyuto
Halcyon Forge 1.2519 228 mm Gyuto
ShiHan Kurouchi 52100 210 mm Petty
Markin ШХ-15 110 mm Paring

STONES, SYNTHETIC
Atoma 140, 400, 1200
Shapton Pro 120, 320, 2000, 8000
Shapton Glass 500HR, 6000HC
Bester 1200
Suehiro Cerax 320, 1000, 3000, 8000
Suehiro Rika 5000
Naniwa Pro 800, 3000
Gesshin 400, 2000, 4000, 6000
Kitayama 8000

STONES, NATURAL
Natsuya (800+)
Ikarashi (1000-2000)
Aizu (1000-3000)
Aoto (2000-4000)
Aoto, Red (2000-4000)
Aoto, Blue Tanba (3000-5000)
Jun Sei Honyama Koppa (medium fine)
Tsushima Nagura (5000-8000)
Hideriyama (6000-8000)
Cretan Gray Natural (6000-8000)
Shouboudani Lv2.5
Wakasa Awasedo (6000-10000)
Ohira Tomae Koppa (8000-12000)
Aiiwatani San Lv5
Ozuku Asagi Lv5+
Translucent Arkansas
Asano Nagura
Kiita & Uchigumori Fingerstones
 
I need to find some time to take a new picture, but here is the current collection (a few posted for sale and need to sell a few more beyond that):

KNIVES, JAPANESE
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 303 mm Sujihiki
Tou Honjyoji B#2 300 mm Sakimaru Sujihiki
Gesshin Hide B#1 290 mm Yanagiba
Migoto W#1 290 mm Sujihiki
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 276 mm Gyuto (iron clad)
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 273 mm Sujihiki
Tetsujin Kasumi B#2 262 mm Sujihiki
Migoto W#1 259 mm Gyuto
Migoto W#2 259 mm Sujihiki
Takeda NAS Medium 255 mm Gyuto
Kawachi W#2 252 mm Gyuto
Jiro Tsuchime W#1 250 mm Gyuto (#54)
Okubo B#2 250 mm Takenoko-Nakiri
Wakui Seiryu B#2 248 mm Gyuto
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 245 mm Gyuto
Toyama Kurouchi B#2 244 mm Gyuto
Kisuke (Manaka) B#1 245 mm Gyuto
Mazaki Kurouchi Nashiji W#2 244 mm Gyuto (2020)
Kisuke (Manaka) B#1 243 mm Gyuto (CKC workhorse)
Migoto B#1 Suminagashi 243 mm Gyuto
Toyama Damascus B#2 242 mm Gyuto
Kochi Migaki 241 mm Gyuto
Hinokuni W#1 240mm Nakiri
Tetsujin B#2 Metal Flow 232 mm Gyuto
Takada Suiboku B#1 230 mm Gyuto
Konosuke Fujiyama FM B#1 230 mm Gyuto
Migoto W#1 229 mm Gyuto
Gesshin Kagekiyo W#1 226 mm Gyuto
Migoto B#1 223 mm Chuka
Kurosaki AS 213 mm Gyuto
Yoshimitsu Tamahagane 210 mm Gyuto
CCK 1303 210 mm Small Chinese Cleaver
Toyama Damascus B#2 202 mm Nakiri
Gesshin Hide B#1 195 mm Kamagata Usuba
Gesshin Hide B#1 186 mm Deba
Migoto Suminagashi B#1 184 mm Petty
Tsubaki (Miyazaki) B#2 182 mm Hakata
Shigemitsu Ito Tamahagane 180 mm Santoku
Mikami B#1 174 mm Uo Bocho
Toyama Kurouchi B#2 176 mm Nakiri
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 172 mm Nakiri
Munetoshi W#2 170 mm Butcher
Yoshimitsu Tamahagane 165 mm Nakiri
Ishikawa W#2 165 mm Nakiri
Tetsujin Kasumi B#2 157 mm Petty
Mikami B#1 156 mm Nakiri
Yoshikane Nashiji SKD 154 mm Petty
Toyama Damascus B#2 151 mm Petty
Kurosaki R2 Hammered 148 mm Petty
Mikami B#1 147 mm Yanagiba
Migoto W#2 142 mm Petty
Takada Suiboku B#1 126 mm Petty
Toyama Noborikoi B#2 124 mm Mukimono
Takahashi W#2 110 mm Fruit Knife
Otsuka B#1 100 mm Petty
Okamitsu B#1 58 mm Ginger Knife

KNIVES, NON-JAPANESE
Zihr 600 mm Turkish Mincing Knife
Markin ШХ-15 263 mm Gyuto
Birch & Bevel (Isasmedjan) Wrought ApexUltra 257 mm Gyuto
ShiHan Telegraph W2 248 mm Gyuto
Merion Forge Wrought 1.2562 249 mm Gyuto
the nine B#2 235 mm Gyuto
Halcyon Forge 1.2519 228 mm Gyuto
ShiHan Kurouchi 52100 210 mm Petty
Markin ШХ-15 110 mm Paring

STONES, SYNTHETIC
Atoma 140, 400, 1200
Shapton Pro 120, 320, 2000, 8000
Shapton Glass 500HR, 6000HC
Bester 1200
Suehiro Cerax 320, 1000, 3000, 8000
Suehiro Rika 5000
Naniwa Pro 800, 3000
Gesshin 400, 2000, 4000, 6000
Kitayama 8000

STONES, NATURAL
Natsuya (800+)
Ikarashi (1000-2000)
Aizu (1000-3000)
Aoto (2000-4000)
Aoto, Red (2000-4000)
Aoto, Blue Tanba (3000-5000)
Jun Sei Honyama Koppa (medium fine)
Tsushima Nagura (5000-8000)
Hideriyama (6000-8000)
Cretan Gray Natural (6000-8000)
Shouboudani Lv2.5
Wakasa Awasedo (6000-10000)
Ohira Tomae Koppa (8000-12000)
Aiiwatani San Lv5
Ozuku Asagi Lv5+
Translucent Arkansas
Asano Nagura
Kiita & Uchigumori Fingerstones
Man that looks like more than JKI's in-stock inventory. You are ready to retire and open your own knife store, well done.
 
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