Shinogi on kiritsuke

[newtothis]

Hi All, have just bought a cheap and cheerful Tosa double bevel k-tip petty. The shinogi line on it turns upwards a fair bit towards the tip which I shrugged off as a minor error in line with the rustic character of these knives but on looking at a number of other kiritsuke, looks like this isn't unusual even on much higher price point knives. Is this a deliberate feature on kiritsuke/other k-tip blades? If so, does anyone know why?

 

[Stevem627]

I’d imagine it’s to keep the tip thin behind the edge.

 

[refcast]

Shinogi line goes up when the wide bevel angle there becomes lower (with same blade face thickness), or when the blade face gets thicker (with same wide bevel angle at shinogi). Many formal single bevel knives try to keep consistent shinogi height relative to edge for consistent food release. That's the supporting theory of it.

The line going up usually means it's ground thinner there so it doesn't wedge as much, not an issue.