Local Japan Knives

nozh2002 · Mar 10, 2005

I was in Japan on business trip and while I was there I looked for local working knives. I found some and all of them were not chisel grounded!

I bought this one in kind of japanese Home Depot for 800y >$8 - Takagi Ranbo (SK4 spring carbon steel)

This is as I anderstand student knife - for pencil sharpening etc, I bought in department store Takai Hands - I.C.-cut from Seki - laminated stainless (no clue what exaclty steel it is:

I finally found Kikuhide shop in Yokohama:

Knives from Kikuhide

Yanagiba by Akitada Minomoto - Hand forged Shirogami (only chisel grounded)

Higonokamis

Hitachi Musachi
Handmade Shirogami

Unknown knife onli marked as Warikomi - so this means this is laminated with Shirogami as a core. This is my faivorite - looks quite authentic, bone handle etc...:

All knives are very good cutters and no any problem with sharpening (except Higonokami - see other thread about it). And I found tip of Takagi Ranbo and Hitachi Musachi very comfortable.

Russian brekfast in Yokohama:

Thanks, Vassili.

nozh2002 · Mar 10, 2005

More pics here (and reviews in Russian, sorry):

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/Takagi-Ranbo.html

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/IC-cut-V2.html

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/Akitada-Yanagiba.html

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/Higonokami.html

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/Hitachi-Musachii.html

http://playground.sun.com/~vasya/Japan-Warikomi.html

And I have trouble with Aogami Higonokamy to sharpen with Sharpmaker.

Thanks, Vassili.

gorlank · Mar 11, 2005

Very interesting, thanks for the cool pictures Vassili.
I daresay Japan has as many hardcore knife enthusiasts as the U.S. does.

tristram · Mar 12, 2005

nozh2002 said:
And I have trouble with Aogami Higonokamy to sharpen with Sharpmaker..

No, no, nothing but waterstones for blades made the Japanese way, they like to play it cool or else they get dull,
Sharpmaker for the western-style ones... they're not sensitive

t.

tristram · Mar 12, 2005

gorlank said:
I daresay Japan has as many hardcore knife enthusiasts as the U.S. does.

Possibly not quite so many in absolute terms,
but surely quite a bit harder-core
(61-64 Rockwell

t.

StuntDouble · Mar 14, 2005

I love those Higonokamis. Does anyone know of any online retailers that sell them?

Dawkind · Mar 14, 2005

Chris Mapp said:
I love those Higonokamis. Does anyone know of any online retailers that sell them?

My thoughts exactly!!!!

nozh2002 · Mar 14, 2005

Esav foud one for $20:

http://www.garrettwade.com/jump.jsp...RODUCT&iMainCat=0&iSubCat=0&iProductID=106053

but please be avare about my troubles, sharpening it.

Thanks, Vassili.

rebeltf · Mar 14, 2005

Unknown knife onli marked as Warikomi

Now that is one handsome blade !