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  • Home / Shibata Koutetsu AS / Page 1 of 1

    Shibata Koutetsu AS

    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 attitudes 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.   



    If you take the recipe for Aogami #1 or #2 and tweak it a bit you can make really special steel called Super Blue steel. This is high carbon steel which can rust, but takes a better edge and holds it longer than most stainless steel. Aogami Super is extra special, as the addition of chromium slows rusting and the molecular structure is more elastic which can reduce the chances of chipping.
    Steel Type Aogami Super (Blue Carbon Steel)
    Rockwell Hardness 63–64
    Handle Wa (Japanese) Handle - Octagon Jarrah Wood with Pakka Collar
    Brand Ironclad Knives

    Learn more about Takayuki Shibata

    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.

    Read a profile on Takayuki Shibata

    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!

    Learn more

    More from Tayayuki Shibata