Hitohira Tanaka Kyuzo 210mm Gyuto Aogami 1 Yakisugi Cedar

Hand made in Sakai, rustic kurouchi finished iron clad aogami 1 forged by dentoukougeishi master smith Yoshikazu Tanaka and expertly ground by Kyuzo, a sharpener that is very well regarded for his wide double bevel work. Tanaka-san’s treatment of aogami is very highly regarded, he manages to incorporate both toughness, ease of sharpening with excellent edge formation with long edge life. We have been fans of Tanaka-san’s for a long time and are very happy to find this collaboration with Hitohira and Kyuzo.

Slightly larger than usual geometry for a Sakai gyuto but still following in that style, not being finish ground on the faces it has a bit heavier blade. The cedar and horn handle with the kurouchi finish give these a great rustic Japanese country feel.

Tanaka uses charcoal to quench when treating the knife, which does not produce a Kurouchi dark finish. So in order to produce the finish, which is both aesthetically pleasing and useful in protecting against rust, sharpener uses a special and secret technique that has been used in Sakai for a long time and etches the surface of the knife.
This way of finishing creates the dark and beautiful Kurouchi finish found on this special line. While both types of Kurouchi finishes can fade over time, the etching technique used by sharpener may fade faster.

Brand: Hitohira ひとひら (一片)
Smith: Tanaka Blacksmith 田中打刃物製作所
Producing Area: Sakai-Osaka/ Japan
Profile: Gyuto
Size: 210mm
Steel Type: Carbon Steel
Steel: Yasuki Blue (Aogami) #1, Soft Iron Clad
Handle: Yakusugi Cedar & Buffalo Horn Ferrule Octagonal
Total Length: 360mm
Edge Length: 206mm
Handle to Tip Length: 215mm
Blade Height: 46mm
Thickness: 3mm
Handle Length: 144mm
Weight: 144g
Hand Orientation: Ambidextrous
Sharpener: Kyuzo