Tanaka Yoshikazu from JNS

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shinyunggyun said:
I ain't never even heard about this line before. Where did you find this?
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Migoto is a new company based in Australia. Ordered my first knife a few days ago—service has been topnotch, very responsive to my questions. Migoto kinda checked a lot of my boxes—a small but very well curated selection of knives by some great makers. Can't remember exactly how I first heard of them.
I didn't get the Tanaka, b1—got their Nakagawa w1 instead.
https://migotocutlery.com/collections/migoto/products/migoto-white-1-gyuto-240mm
 
DitmasPork said:
Migoto is a new company based in Australia. Ordered my first knife a few days ago—service has been topnotch, very responsive to my questions. Migoto kinda checked a lot of my boxes—a small but very well curated selection of knives by some great makers. Can't remember exactly how I first heard of them.
I didn't get the Tanaka, b1—got their Nakagawa w1 instead.
https://migotocutlery.com/collections/migoto/products/migoto-white-1-gyuto-240mm
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Sounds like some new revolutionary ****!
 
DitmasPork said:
Migoto is a new company based in Australia. Ordered my first knife a few days ago—service has been topnotch, very responsive to my questions. Migoto kinda checked a lot of my boxes—a small but very well curated selection of knives by some great makers. Can't remember exactly how I first heard of them.
I didn't get the Tanaka, b1—got their Nakagawa w1 instead.
https://migotocutlery.com/collections/migoto/products/migoto-white-1-gyuto-240mm
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I've just heard about Migoto from another friend this week as well. What made you pick the Nakagawa vs the Tanaka? I would have prob done the same, but already have a Kikuchiyo Yohei. So looking for something different.

@shinyunggyun looking for my go-to knife, no specific task in mind. Been looking at Y Tanaka options for awhile.
 
the migoto white 2 looks pretty 🔥

the description is similar, is that also Yoshikazu?
 
iandustries said:
I've just heard about Migoto from another friend this week as well. What made you pick the Nakagawa vs the Tanaka? I would have prob done the same, but already have a Kikuchiyo Yohei. So looking for something different.

@shinyunggyun looking for my go-to knife, no specific task in mind. Been looking at Y Tanaka options for awhile.
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Firstly, I'll probably end up getting the Migoto, Tanaka, b1, at some point—it was a toss up. and not like I need to get everything at the same time.

Ended up getting the Migoto, w1, for several reasons—I like w1 a lot; I already have two knives forged by Y Tanaka and never tried Nakagawa; I dig the profile of the w1.

@Elliot also showed me his 270 Migoto, w1, and it was literally love at first sight. Very sexy knife.
 
DitmasPork said:
Firstly, I'll probably end up getting the Migoto, Tanaka, b1, at some point—it was a toss up. and not like I need to get everything at the same time.

Ended up getting the Migoto, w1, for several reasons—I like w1 a lot; I already have two knives forged by Y Tanaka and never tried Nakagawa; I dig the profile of the w1.

@Elliot also showed me his 270 Migoto, w1, and it was literally love at first sight. Very sexy knife.
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How does the Nakagawa compare to the Yohei out of interest? Or I may have imagined you mentioning a Yohei before, so apologies in advance for any confusion

Slight self interest here admittedly. Have a few Tanaka blades, the JNS 165 petty included (excellent, lovely thin thing), and a Yohei about to arrive, plus that Migoto looks lush
 
WaTFTanaki said:
Where did you get the Yohei if you don’t mind me asking?
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This one was off BST and I’m just awaiting the customs letter now. The same Aogami Yohei was available from ProTooling in Aus at the same time FWIW and buying it new would have been similar with their free P&P offer factored in. Hokuto from Hitohira can usually point to you which stockists have have recent deliveries and you can work out the pricing Implications after. P&P (and the choice of courier with their extra fees) can be a significant difference

I didn’t even consider the authorised UK dealer (Kataba), despite liking the owner, because they sadly seem ridiculously expensive for these premium lines - it basically seems to take the US price, turn that into pounds and add a few hundred extra nicker on top of that. The similarish Tanaka Kyuzo works out at a shade under £700 ($950!) mystifyingly. I wouldn‘t be able to keep a straight face if they asked me to pay that.

You never did give further details of the 7 tanakas that you’ve managed to pick up in superquick style iirc. Genuinely interested how you’ve found the differences.
 
I have been digging the white 2 210 Y Tanaka from OUL. The Blue Y Tanaka from JNS was my second Tanaka and I love it. The OUL is much wider at the spine than the JNS or my takada. Digging it as it’s still super thin behind the edge like all the other Tanakas I have. Totally different flavor.
 
I recently purchased a couple of Tanaka W2s: Kagekiyo, Takada Reika & Suiboku and all are amazing. Havent had to sharpen them yet. just strop so far.

I blame this forum for encouraging my purchases of Tanaka forged knives, since these join my Tanaka Kikkumori b1 damy, Tanaka Kyuzo and stainless clad tanaka yugiri petty which I absolutely love.

I've told myself that my last purchase for the next 12 months will be a Takada Ginsan Suiboku 240 which I m holding out for.
 
Ah yes. Sorry. I started down the Y Tanaka windy path with this one. And fell in love. It may or may not be a laser but it’s pretty close. Easy to get insanely sharp. Very light. Sugi cutlery carries this same knife. Post UK import duties it might be cheaper.

https://www.kitchenprovisions.co.uk...re-iron-clad-damascus-finish-yoshikazu-tanaka
Honestly it and the JNS blue 210 are quite similar in character. Both beautiful knives.

For me the Takada no Hamono suiboku 210 I got from Bernal is very much in line with the JNS and first knife with the suiboku being the apex of the three. The F&F and aesthetics are just slightly more refined. But all are killer with super thin grinds, 44-47 height and weights around 150 grams. I would call these the light Tanakas.

I have two from Miura. A 150 petty and an itadaki 210 gyuto. Both in white 1. These are the least refined. But they cost a fraction of the first 3. Heavier bigger spine but also not requiring as much worry. Which is nice at times.

I have 2 OULs which are heavier in the 170-180 gm range. Wider spine and taller close to 50 mm in height. I am digging the OULs at the moment. They have a more Denka like heft and weight I am liking them a LOT.

I am debating on the Yohei and other Y Tanakas at hitohira or kikumori since dimension wise they seem so similar to the first 3 knives I have mentioned. Light. And am kind looking for Y Tanakas that have a new flavor.

Buying knives in UK sucks though. Prices and import tariffs are tough to swallow.
 
WaTFTanaki said:
I have been digging the white 2 210 Y Tanaka from OUL. The Blue Y Tanaka from JNS was my second Tanaka and I love it. The OUL is much wider at the spine than the JNS or my takada. Digging it as it’s still super thin behind the edge like all the other Tanakas I have. Totally different flavor.
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Cheers for that. Been much tempted by the Oul, as I really like their ginsan (Yamatsuka) range. Fit and finish are excellent and the sharpener (Maruyama) is obviously very talented - it’s a mid-heavyweight blade with a ridiculously thin edge that bites into the board. If anything I’ve hesitated because I suspect the Oul Tanaka may share some of the same slight downsides - the edge almost feels too thin/fragile and Maruyama‘s love of a defined shinogi line makes the wide-bevel transition a little less smooth that I’m accustomed to. Still would be tempted if the stainless-clad Hados make an appearance however.

Top Tanaka rank in my household is currently held by a Tsubaya Tanaka 240 that some heavy-handed Finn foolishly let go (love you @IsoJ ). That FInnish fella may have found if too light, but by Tanaka standards it’s a heavy one, 220g+, Edge feels more robust, there’s a more buttery smoothed transition on the wide bevel and it carries a little more heft and authority.

The Yohei is intended as the lightweight comparison to the Tsubaya if anything. Looking forward to it

@iandustries - the Ginsan Suib does look very tempting too - but isn‘t it only one retailer (Bernal) that stocks it? Think the other ginsans are Nakagawa forged, which may not be a bad thing - between him and Yamatsuka they seem to have the ginsan expertise, I’d suggest buying both Ginsan Suiboko varieties and writing a detailed comparison for KKF, Seems only fair.👍
 
WaTFTanaki said:
I have two from Miura. A 150 petty and an itadaki 210 gyuto. Both in white 1. These are the least refined. But they cost a fraction of the first 3. Heavier bigger spine but also not requiring as much worry. Which is nice at times.
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I can confirm these are a good deal. You're definitely giving up a bit of f&f quality but the knives are pretty good overall.

should you choose one over any other number of wide bevel iron clad white 2 knives? that really depends. you have a lot of choices but the miura knives are well sorted and certainly not worse.
 
Damn it. Now you’ve got me curious about the Tsubaya Tanakas which seem unobtainable. Was just looking at the Yohei and kyuzo but these seem more super models like the the thin Tanakas I already have.
 
WiriWiri said:
Cheers for that. Been much tempted by the Oul, as I really like their ginsan (Yamatsuka) range. Fit and finish are excellent and the sharpener (Maruyama) is obviously very talented - it’s a mid-heavyweight blade with a ridiculously thin edge that bites into the board. If anything I’ve hesitated because I suspect the Oul Tanaka may share some of the same slight downsides - the edge almost feels too thin/fragile and Maruyama‘s love of a defined shinogi line makes the wide-bevel transition a little less smooth that I’m accustomed to. Still would be tempted if the stainless-clad Hados make an appearance however.

Top Tanaka rank in my household is currently held by a Tsubaya Tanaka 240 that some heavy-handed Finn foolishly let go (love you @IsoJ ). That FInnish fella may have found if too light, but by Tanaka standards it’s a heavy one, 220g+, Edge feels more robust, there’s a more buttery smoothed transition on the wide bevel and it carries a little more heft and authority.

The Yohei is intended as the lightweight comparison to the Tsubaya if anything. Looking forward to it

@iandustries - the Ginsan Suib does look very tempting too - but isn‘t it only one retailer (Bernal) that stocks it? Think the other ginsans are Nakagawa forged, which may not be a bad thing - between him and Yamatsuka they seem to have the ginsan expertise, I’d suggest buying both Ginsan Suiboko varieties and writing a detailed comparison for KKF, Seems only fair.👍
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Haha yup these are nakazawa forged. it’s not been in stock for sometime, but the typical hitohira partners will carry when they come in. mtckitchen had some too :)
 
WaTFTanaki said:
I am debating on the Yohei and other Y Tanakas at hitohira or kikumori since dimension wise they seem so similar to the first 3 knives I have mentioned. Light. And am kind looking for Y Tanakas that have a new flavor.
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Working with Strata, you can get almost anything custom you want from Tanaka through Sakai Kikumori. I have a Martell-inspired profile Tanaka in blue #1 coming to me in the next couple of months.
 
heldentenor said:
Working with Strata, you can get almost anything custom you want from Tanaka through Sakai Kikumori. I have a Martell-inspired profile Tanaka in blue #1 coming to me in the next couple of months.
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very interesting thanks
 
WaTFTanaki said:
Anyone own of the Yugiri’s. This has to be the tallest and heaviest Y Tanaka I have seen per unit of length

https://strata-portland.myshopify.c...yuto-ebony-handle?_pos=9&_sid=d9044bb0b&_ss=r
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I have the petty. love it especially since it’s stainless clad. Performs as well as all other Y Tanakas.

From Evan at strata about the yugiri line:

Yugiri, well we just got these in and we helped design them so I'm partial to these. One of the best in-hand feels I've ever experienced. The ebony handle is slightly wider than normal and adds a premium feel and grounding (like in control) to the blade. Since the blade is tall for most of its length, it adds a bit of mass. They are modern with a tall heel height, 54mm, and the grinds are crazy thin. This will zip through product. The ktips are robust and not flimsy, just enough fineness at the tip. The finish is very intriguing with vertical scratch patterns which I haven't really seen before. The stainless cladding helps you focus on your edge and cutting since you don't have to deal with corrosion along the large blade. You don't see much stainless clad knives in Sakai, not easy to work with. 225mm is a great length that is underrepresented.
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WaTFTanaki said:
Anyone own of the Yugiri’s. This has to be the tallest and heaviest Y Tanaka I have seen per unit of length

https://strata-portland.myshopify.c...yuto-ebony-handle?_pos=9&_sid=d9044bb0b&_ss=r
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Bear in mind the ebony handle will typically add some extra g and I’m not convinced it’s a much more weighty Tanaka number. Particularly given that the edge length falls in the middle ground between a Tanaka gyoto in 210 and 240 (likely 225). Same with the Tsubaya tbh - it has a custom handle (it’s actually 212 grsms too, not the 221 I misremembered),- I reckon it’s generally close to to the Kyuzos or some of the Kikumori Tanakss given the usual hand forged variations

Bottom line is that I’m not convinced there’s a much weightier Tanaka variation out there that’ll really startle you given your current roster, nor that weight (or height - Tanaka;s profiles work well imo) should be all that vital here. I reckon you’re largely in the ground of trying to work out the myriad subtleties of.grind, balance and how the height/smoothing of any wide bevel can affect the cutting experience, plus all the usual quirks that your match your personal preferences. I’d like to explain more cogently, but frankly I’m, not really clever enough here, particularly in these early hours. if you want significantly more heft it may be time to change smith and head towards a more workhorse style comparison.

And I’d also recommend you also try out a Tanaka 240 if you haven’t already. I started off on undersized Sakai 210s and still have a soft spot for them, but I‘ve come to like slightly longer blades in the 225-230 zone ideally, which is what Tanaka’s 240s tend to top out at. Tends to bring the balance point of the blade forward slightly, which may give you more of the feeling of heft and authority you seem to like - the knife seems to do more work for you.

Good luck in your search, even if it does take you beyond YT…
 
WaTFTanaki said:
Damn it. Now you’ve got me curious about the Tsubaya Tanakas which seem unobtainable. Was just looking at the Yohei and kyuzo but these seem more super models like the the thin Tanakas I already have.
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Ha, and you in turn have me increasingly looking at the Ouls/Hados again. I like my Yamatsuka Oul loads, I like Tanaka, Hmmm….

I almost certainly don’t need another Tanaka, but potentially I could create another desperate/arbitrary justification to upgrade one of my stainless 210 as a diminishing Kono retires to the Sujipetty role. And the Ouls are actually available all too easily

I‘ve got as far as scrutinising multiple choil shots on t‘interweb wistfully, trying to work out the differences. Do you have both of Oul Tanaka ranges - the Sumi (Ku) and the Stainless clad variations (junpaku)? At a reasonably quick glance, the Sumi looks more my tastes in terms of grind - there’s less of the overt transition on the shinogi line, particularly at the heel. I’d prefer stainless for a 210 mind, and Kikumori seems to have produced an alternative Junpaku variant with smoother grind, which is probably the one I should seek out

The Sumi is all too frustratingly available nearby, and at a reasonabilish (for the UK) cost. And given that Hado’s prices are likely to increase, this may be the last opportunity to jump on this ship at this price. That nagging feeling has kept going around in my head for the last day or two, to the extent that I seem to have gone the full Lionel and have involuntarily come up with an annoying earworm jingle to hum along to:

Say you,
Su-mi
Buy It Together
..Naturally…

This is not helping my self reserve. Rest assured that, whilst I almost certainly annoy other posters with my inane waffle on here, it also appears that I am quite capable of annoyingly twisting my own mental melons.
🤦‍♂️
 
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