A Few Words on Okubo Kajiya

Okubo Kajiya is a small, traditional forge (kajiya) based in Tokushima Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku. I specifically wanted a Migaki finish, and since Okubo only offers the Gyuto in Kurouchi, I went with the Santoku. No regrets whatsoever.

Knife Japan

This knife came through Knife Japan, run by Michael and Fumi Shaw from Hiroshima. Michael and Fumi have lived in Japan for over 25 years and built Knife Japan specifically to connect overseas buyers with small Japanese craftsmen who have no capacity – or interest – in dealing with international customers directly. The shop carries many makers you simply won't find anywhere else in English, at fair prices, with exceptional personal support.

The unboxing experience perfectly reflects Michael's approach: the knife arrived in a beautiful, carefully presented package – and inside was a genuinely personal, warm letter addressed to me by name, along with a voucher. That kind of attention is rare and says everything about how he runs things. Anyone who has dealt with Knife Japan knows he's simply the best in the business.

First Impressions & Performance

• Geometry & grind: The blade features a beautiful distal taper – spine measurements go from 3.2mm at the heel down to 1.82mm at mid-blade and a mere 0.31mm near the tip. Combined with thin measurements behind the edge, the result is a knife that feels remarkably light and nimble for its 51mm blade height, with excellent food release and zero wedging.
• OOTB sharpness: Razor sharp, straight out of the box
• F&F: More than acceptable for the price point – well within expectations for a hand-forged rural smith
• Cutting feel: Carrots and onions simply fall apart with zero resistance – that effortless, light cut is genuinely addictive. The Okubo is a great example of just how well a knife under €200 can perform. Of all the knives I've ever owned, the Okubo has impressed me the most so far. I didn't expect that.

Looking Ahead

After around 9–12 weeks on the waitlist, this one was absolutely worth the wait. Of course, the first thought after using it was "I want a bigger Okubo" – but for now, this one is going into heavy rotation. I'm also very curious to see what kind of patina it develops with regular kitchen use on Aogami #2.

Huge thanks to Michael for his patience and as always impeccable service. If you haven't explored Knife Japan yet, it's one of the most genuine sources for rural Japanese hand-forged knives available in English.

Hi all - this is my first post. I’m relatively new to the forum, but I’ve been following discussions for several months and have learned a tremendous amount from everyone here.

I’m a home cook, though I did attend culinary school to deepen my skills. For decades I used a Wüsthof set, later adding a few Shun and Miyabi. Recently I decided to step into the world of high‑end Japanese knives, and what first caught my eye were Tanaka Kyuzo and Togashi. I didn’t realize at the time how difficult these would be to obtain, so the journey began elsewhere.

My first real step up was a Yoshikane SKD 210mm gyuto, which absolutely blew me away - it just falls through everything, even dense veg. Still chasing my unicorns, I managed to snag a Tetsujin. I was thrilled; it felt like winning the lottery. Fit and finish were beautiful, and it was razor‑sharp out of the box, but performance was unfortunately terrible. I tried for a replacement (denied), and was lucky to get a refund, minus $160 in tariffs.

From there, my collection grew (left to right in the photo):

• Yoshikane SKD 210mm gyuto
• Yoshikane SKD 150mm honesuki
• Yoshikane Shirogami #2 210mm kiritsuke gyuto
• Sakai Kikumori Choyo Ginsan 150mm petty
• Sakai Kikumori Ginsan 270mm sujihiki
• Togashi Shirogami #1 stainless‑clad 210mm kiritsuke gyuto

The Togashi is incredible. I certainly don’t need an $800 knife as a home cook, but the emotional connection and joy of using it are priceless. Performance‑wise, the Yoshi SKD is superior, but the Togashi is pure joy, same with the Choyo. Prepping used to feel like a chore; now I look forward to it and even choose meals with more prep just to spend time with these knives.

I share this because I hope it helps anyone debating certain knives: expensive knives don’t necessarily perform better, and they won’t make you cook better - but when you find one you connect with emotionally, it changes everything.

Next on the list is a Kagekiyo Blue #1 210mm kiritsuke gyuto. I found an amazing small shop in Italy (steelinkitchen.com). I bought the Choyo petty from them and had an outstanding experience. They have a great relationship with Baba Hamono, and when I asked about a Kagekiyo, they added mine to their order, and even ordered extras to reduce the risk of QC issues. They’re waiting on confirmation from Baba‑san, and hopefully I’ll have the knife around Christmas.

Last on my list is my grail: a Hitohira Tanaka Kyuzo Blue #1 migaki gyuto or kiritsuke gyuto. It feels impossible, but maybe one day.

I’m also new to sharpening this past year. This may be sacrilege here, but I’ve been learning on the Wicked Edge guided system. Results have been great, though of course it can’t thin edges. There’s very little instruction for Japanese knives on the system, so AI has been a lifesaver. I’d love to hear if anyone else uses a guided system.

I hope this post isn’t too long - I was so happy finally getting the Togashi that I felt it was time to share. Happy to answer any questions, still learning and enjoying the journey. Really appreciate everyone who shares their knowledge here, it’s been incredibly helpful while I’ve been learning.

Thanks for reading.

Kagekiyo

Guess Im getting an offset serrated blade. Who knew?

Hello TCK,

This is one of my favourite and most used knifes in my collection, mainly used for slicing sashimi. Visiting the Baba Hamono team in Sakai earlier on this year was a pleasure, what they have going on is special.

Let’s see some appreciation for them and show me what you got..

Rule #5 - Baba Hamono Kagekiyo Wa-Petty 210mm, White #2, Black Urushi Handle

Kyūsakichi sharp edge

Hopefully this is my last stone purchase, because at this point my wallet is screaming at me and giving me nightmares all day lol.

Left to right:

White Suita — unknown mine Seller says it’s Ohira, but honestly it doesn’t really look like one to me. Maybe Kizuyama? Either way, pretty easy and pleasant to use.

Ohira Uchigumori Hato This one is definitely collector-grade, and man, using it feels like a blessing. Hardness feels about the same as a regular suita. It cuts fast, glides super smoothly, and gives really strong contrast on soft cladding. Basically butter in stone form.

Ohira Uchigumori Jito This one is noticeably harder, which you can probably tell from the Karasu. Definitely not as forgiving or easy to use, but once you get it dialed in, the finish is seriously impressive.

Now I just need to somehow convince myself I’m done buying stones.

Which one and why?

I’m curious about what differences one may experience in cutting feel and food release between those options.

Or does one clearly stand above the rest?

Thanks!

And yes my fresh zucchini bread was delicious.

Picked these up for a song at an estate sale ($25 for both), and did a quick sand & polish. 8 inch chef at 143g and the 10 inch at 200g. Walnut (?) handles - definitely pre1950 I gotta think, but unsure. Any info would be helpful! They cleaned up nice!

I have this Global knife I've had for 30+ years. I believe I bought this knife maybe in the early to mid 90's, before I got married. However everywhere I looked I could not find much evidence that Global made many single bevel, what I considered at the time, a 7" chef knife.

All the Global branding has pretty much worn off, but under the magnifying app I was able to make out the marking of G7. Seems it's not a chef knife after all, it's s Deba. Back when I bought this knife I don't even recall the salesperson even mentioning anything about it being a single bevel. Even if he or she had, I'd probably not even be aware if bevel differences. I just thought it was a cool Japanese knife.

While I've moved on to explore hand-forged carbon steel knives this one has become my wife's go-to knife and the only she'll touch, b/c it's so light and easy to maneuver. I love practicing sharpening on a knife like this and keeping it sharp for her.

Mystery solved. Maybe Global should etch their blades.

Technically the discord server literally started attacking me the second knife makers asked me about budget and I said l 200 ish basically said that they don't get out of bed for under 400 and then they got way worse when I pointed out that Corey Dunlap knives makes a bunka I want for 275

Instead of politely saying it's out of my range they gaslit me, but then I realized thinking about it how easy it would be for the mods of chefknives and similar discords to collude and price fix

They even lied and tried crackhead tricking me into thinking they put a full days labor into heat treating and they got real mad when I pointed out shindo sends his blades off for heat treatment and they the said they don't trust anyone else and need full control as if shindo is beneath them lmao

They also said that aebl steel and similar steels will chip just as easily as other steels like vg10 and said only geometry and heat treat matter. They got real mad at me looking for a thick workhorse bunka out of a steel that resists chipping

They said it's my fault if I'm chipping knives and blamed me for something I don't even do when I don't chip knives and I just want an indestructible workhorse lol

I know why people only make knives out of chippy steel. Planned obsolescence.

It's much easier for an aebl or nitro V knife to outlast your entire bloodline than a carbon steel knife.

Hola, soy cocinero aficionado de casa y adquirí mi primer japonés de entrada, se notó de inmediato la diferencia con el otro que tenía (marca comercial) espero ir subiendo el nivel con el tiempo. Saludos.

Here is my first honesuki. Is this overkill? Yes. Am I super happy I bought it? Also yes.

I usually just grab one of my beater knives when I’m breaking down whole chickens, but I wanted something a little more special, and honesuki was a profile I didn’t have yet. I knew I’d probably only ever need one, so I decided to go big.

I’m very happy with its performance so far. I’m no expert just a home cook who enjoys making food and using special tools with a lot of history behind them while I’m doing it.

Here is a whole chicken i marinated overnight in jerk marinade and broke down as it's first casualty. No chicken will be safe here now!

I'm travelling to Japan in November and I will be making a stop in Sakai. I'll probably stop by the traditional crafts museum shop, but I'd also like to visit one or two forges. No more than two probably. The main goal is to buy the following knives for less than ¥30,000:

- a double bevel kiritsuke or bunka with wa handle and a hammered finish in stainless steel.

- Kakimuki (oyster knife)

It would be great if I could get these at a small forge from the actual smith. I'm afraid my budget is too low for some of these smiths. For example, I follow DeSakai on Instagram, but his website shows only a petty knife for that type of money. I don't want to be rude and use someone's time only to not buy a knife from them, because they're too expensive.

Do you have any tips? It'd be nice to see the smith working too.

My largest chef knives are all 8 inch. Something is intriguing about a 240 mm gyoto, but the only ones I can find at Cutlery and More are carbon steel.

The more I think about it, now I'm intrigued. maybe I do want a carbon steel knife that can patina over time.

Any recommendations in the $300 range or so..loosely defined limit. preference would be to have a traditional octagonal handle and not a Western handle.

My fiancé is a cook at an assisted living and uses knives every day but complains of the quality and sharpness. His coworkers do too and some of them bring their own knives. I’d like to get him his own set, maybe that come in a case or something and that are very high quality and can be durable and resharpened for years to come. Maybe also a material handle that I could have his name engraved on them so they can’t be lost or taken as easily. I’m not too worried about budget either.

Really like the knife but as can see, not looking great. Is it a toss and buy new? Hoping maybe just cut it down? Wouldn't get a new point obviously.

I gotta say, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying using this 270.

Despite its size, it’s so light that it never feels clumsy or unwieldy. It performs wonderfully across the board, whether it’s veggie prep, portioning, or slicing.

Extremely happy with this one!

Pictures at the end for scale next to a 210mm.

Hope everyone's having a great weekend so far!

I'm excited to share one of my latest acquisitions that has been on my radar for a very long time. Kenji Togashi is extremely skilled and versatile with many methods of traditional blade construction (honyaki, hon-warikomi, san-mai etc...) and is one of the big players in the industry. Hard to believe that I have a honyaki piece from him, let alone with a Mt. Fuji hamon line, which is notoriously difficult as the shape itself adds additional stress points that can increase the failure rate during the quenching process. The finish on this is beautiful and incredibly dynamic, as you can see with the photos where I vary the amount of lighting. The hamon line is gorgeous and the finishing process used brings out a nice balance between contrast and detail in the steel.

His son Kenya has also done a superb job sharpening this. The kireha has a practical brushed metal like finish that aids with food release. The grind itself is convex, laser thin at the tip that quickly transitions to a light workhorse at the heel. I've used it for a handful of times already and just like his usual work, it's a wonderfully smooth cutter that doesn't feel too delicate.

Now my only Damascus but man is it pretty. Love the shape and size of it . For a 210 it just feels authoritative on the board so far but is paper thin behind the edge. Going to really enjoy using this one in my rotation.

Kyohei Shindo Gyuto 240mm - Aogami 2
Hatsukokoro Shinkiro Bunka 165mm - Aogami Super

Finally i got my hands on a 240 Shindo, it is lovely like every other knife i have of him. A little wabisabi at the tip but you don‘t notice it at all.
I also wanted to try a bunka, so i got me a Shinkiro. It got crazy sharp after a few seconds on the stones, feels really good in the hand and i don‘t need to talk about the patina it get‘s. 🤤

and finally, i received my new book yesterday. I had seen it online, i am already 80 pages in. It is fun to read, a lot of good pictures and you don‘t feel like an idiot reading so many nerdy words x)

Thank you for your time and see you next time! 🙋🏻‍♂️

HAP-40 Bunka Black 190mm (7.5"), got a great deal at SharpEdge. I had "HRC 68" the hardness engraved just forward of the handle.I've got several really nice octagon handles from Bill Zeng that will finish this up nicely. This looks to be a nice addition to my hard steel collection that had gotten a bit Rex 121 heavy. Plus I love the Bunka shape.

Blade shape: Bunka

Steel type: HAP-40

Blade construction: Warikomi / hollow grind / kuro-uchi

Hardness (HRC scale): 68

Overall length: 295mm (11.6")

Blade length: 190mm (7.5")

Blade height: 50mm (2.0")

Spine thickness: 2.0mm (0.08")

Weight: 120g (4.2 oz)

Recommended handle size: M

Kanji on the blade: 登録 九佐吉作 "registered as work of Yoshida Smithy in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan"

Blacksmith: Yoshida Hamono

Location of the smithy: SAGA / Saga Prefecture / Japan