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Japan knife identification
- Thread starter AdiBo
- Start date
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2007
- Messages
- 10,174
Are you asking what the characters say or what type of knife?
- Joined
- May 5, 2020
- Messages
- 225
Jesus, who "sharpened" the poor thing?
I'm not so sure that there is anything wrong with the way its sharpened. The pic is a bit fuzzy but the blade seems to be either san-mai or warikomi construction, with soft stainless cladding on a hard high carbon non-stainless core. What you see along the edge is discoloration of the carbon steel core contrasting with the stainless.
It says Seki Magoroku Murasame 関 孫六 村両. Seki Magoroku by itself is a well known KAI owned brand. But I have doubts if this is a KAI knife. It is a laminate(san mai) as Honｗarikomi 本割込 indicates. A carbon steel core with stainless side so you'll get the patina along the cutting edge. Looks like a vintage discontinued brand as found the brand on an auction site.
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It is likely a "housebrand" from one of the manufacturers there. The same knife is often sold by multiple vendors under different names. If you follow the Japanese knife resellers, you will see the same exact knife except for the "name" and maybe the handle material sold for the same or wildly different prices.
Sometimes though, the knives that come from the same source will see radically different final finishes too where the spine and choil may be rounded or there may be distal taper in one and not the other.
Your pictures are a little rough but, it looks like a pretty common western handled Santoku with San Mai and a white steel core. Personally, I'd clean it up and put it to good use with a poly cutting board.
Sometimes though, the knives that come from the same source will see radically different final finishes too where the spine and choil may be rounded or there may be distal taper in one and not the other.
Your pictures are a little rough but, it looks like a pretty common western handled Santoku with San Mai and a white steel core. Personally, I'd clean it up and put it to good use with a poly cutting board.