To make these knives, Shibata san has teamed up with a local forge from Takefu Knife Village. Together both do what they are good at, and they are turning out awesomeness. The knife factory forged the steel and Shibata san does the finishing, sharpening, signs the blade and adds the handle. They really are crazy sharp
We think this is one of the sharpest knives we’ve ever had our hands on. True story.
Every knife in this line has an angle cut tip like a Bunka or Kiritsuke, so they have plenty of attitude and a pretty flat cutting-edge. The slanted end is where it gets the name “Koutetsu”. This was the name of the first iron clad destroyer in the Japanese naval fleet. The Koutetsu, built 1864, had a slanted bow designed for ramming other ships. These knives look like a ship, but don’t feel like one. These are light and thin and fine; they could be the official knives of the F1. The finish is unique too: it has a very fine texture so it slips through food super easy.
R2 powdered stainless steel allows for an extremely long-lived edge and is tougher than many super hard powder steels. Having a light, thin blade, this knife is capable of extreme sharpness. This steel competes with hard carbon steel for edge retention, but will never rust. A total bonus.
Steel Type | R2 High Speed Powder Stainless Steel |
---|---|
Rockwell Hardness | |
Handle | Wa (Japanese) Handle - Octagon Jarrah Wood with Pakka Collar |
Brand | Ironclad Knives |
In this interview from Springhammer, Shibata-san shows off his spectacular sharpening skills and explains his process in creating his razor-sharp line of knives, Kotetsu. Watch the full documentation here.
From the book, The Knifenerd Guide to Japanese Knives, read this except from Kevin Kent about Takayuki Shibata. Learn some of the history of Masakage and Koutetsu knives and what makes Shibata tick!
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