ULTIMATE TOP 8 JAPANESE KITCHEN KNIVES OF 2023
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 тра 2024
- After a jam-packed year in the world of Japanese Knives, Naoto and Nathan have rounded up 5 (well, 8) winners to come out on top above the rest. Naoto is the lead knife buyer for Knifewear and our ambassador to Japan. He gets access to hundreds of makers, and chooses the best handmade Japanese kitchen knives for us to sell at our stores. These are the ones that came out on top:
Glestain K-Series Gyuto 210mm
knifewear.com/products/glesta...
Hado Sakai Sumi Bunka 180mm
knifewear.com/products/hado-s...
Masakage Yuki Santoku 165mm
knifewear.com/products/masaka...
Mutsumi Hinoura "Ajikataya" Shirogami Kurouchi Gyuto 210mm
knifewear.com/products/mutsum...
Yu Kurosaki SG2 Folding Knife 110mm
knifewear.com/products/yu-kur...
Sakai Takayuki Sanpo Shirogami Kasumi Gyuto 210mm
knifewear.com/products/sakai-...
Nigara VG10 Tsuchime Damascus Kiritsuke Gyuto 240mm
knifewear.com/products/nigara...
Satoshi Nakagawa X Naohito Myojin Aoichi Damascus Sakimaru Sujihiki 330mm
knifewear.com/products/satosh...
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:50 Glestain K-Series Gyuto 210mm
2:57 Hado Sakai Sumi Bunka 180mm
5:31 Masakage Yuki Santoku 165mm
7:42 Mutsumi Hinoura "Ajikataya" Shirogami Kurouchi Gyuto 210mm
10:51 Yu Kurosaki SG2 Folding Knife 110mm
12:45 Sakai Takayuki Sanpo Shirogami Kasumi Gyuto 210mm
17:08 Nigara VG10 Tsuchime Damascus Kiritsuke Gyuto 240mm
19:40 Satoshi Nakagawa X Naohito Myojin Aoichi Damascus Sakimaru Sujihiki 330mm
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I bought Nigara Hamono VG10 damascus set during the Garage Sale and find myself just opening the kitchen drawer to look at it or show it off.
That's awesome! They're so stunning.
The Glestain knife is in my collection. It is my go-to knife for slicing potatoes. It really works.
Fun and helpful to see what Naoto and Nathan like. It is great to get me insight into the various makers. Looking forward to more great content in 2024. Thank you!
Thanks Grant, have a great rest of your year!
I got a Masakage Koishi AS Gyuto 240mm a while back from you guys, its like a piece of art and i love it, never see Masakage Koishis getting a ton of love perhaps you guys can shoot a little love Koishi's way in a vid :) love the vids keep it up! Great knives this video cant wait to get another!
Hey, good observation! In all honesty, I avoid talking about them because we can never keep them in stock and I hate to disappoint folks! That said, they're amazing knives. My second knife was a Koishi nakiri and it's still one of my favourites.
@KnifewearKnives can completely understand that, I just saw my knife was sold out yesterday! Thank you for the response and the content. I love it!
What rear artistry and craftsmanship in making these knives. That’s what’s so captivating about Japanese knives, they are fine works of art!
I couldn't agree more!
I have a Nakagawa x Myojin 240 gyuto, that thing is such a beast. Whoever picks up that slicer is getting a hell of a knife
Glad to hear it!
LOVE the Gary Numan album AND Miami Vice soundtrack!
A person of culture, I see!
Can you make a ranking for mid range knives? I can't pay 400-600 dollars for a knife bro, or you know, almost 2000 dollars for your no.1 pick... It just seems like you're paying for the brand, like Gucci or any other prestige brand that costs way too much. I wan't to know about the cheaper knives that can cut well
This was excellent. Thank you.
I own a Tsunehisa Aogami Super Stainless Clad Hammered Kurouchi Kiritsuke Gyuto 210mm Rose wood Handle that knife stays sharp for so long and it is such a beauty. When you buy this knife you get a beast of a knife.
That's an awesome blade!
Just purchased a Zuiun Gyuto 210mm in Japan and then I discovered your channel, please tell me it's a good knife 😅
It is! We sell those and love them!
That sujihiki is a literal sword. 😮 I don't know how you would use that to cut food with one hand.
Question: how do you go about sharpening convex edges? I believe if you use a whetstone you'll pretty quickly re-profile that edge into a "V"? I've got a convex Japanese Gyuto and have been pretty hesitant to sharpen it because of this. I've just been stropping it with some diamond compound. Let me know your thoughts!
Hey, we actually made a video on that!
ua-cam.com/video/0t5-m0Bllmk/v-deo.htmlsi=xbdBMEReKNNnxkgF
Excellent video. I just scored a few knives from M. Hirr... ever hear of this guy? I love Japanese knives.
A couple of Santoku looking knives
I've never heard of them, I'll try to track them down!
You guys should review Ogata’s line of knives not that popular but it’s absolutely amazing
We've got some before, hopefully we will again!
looking to get a mid budget (around 400-800$) yanagiba, any recs on what to get? was previously looking at either a takayuki homura guren aogami #2 300mm or a takayuki seiryu damascus 300mm. any other recs would be highly appreciated too! thanks!
Hey, that Homura Guren would definitely be my first choice! I also love these two:
knifewear.com/collections/yanagiba/products/sakai-byakko-shirogami-1-ebony-handle-yanagiba-300mm
knifewear.com/collections/yanagiba/products/sakai-takayuki-uzushio-yanagiba-300mm
@KnifewearKnives what Japanese Knives would you say are the “Rolls Royce” of knives bearing no cost in mind?
I bought my wife a Shun knife but I imagine those are just “regular” Japanese knives but still a step up from your department store knife.
Back to car analogies they’re maybe a BMW, but there’s still better knives out there.
With soo many Japanese knife brands I have no clue which ones are contested to be at the very top line the pinnacle best of the best.
What would you say are your top 3 and perhaps you don’t even sell them which is fine as well?
Hey, great question! Shun are fantastic, but you can definitely get crazier. My top lines currently are:
Masashi Yamamoto. One of the best blacksmiths out there. Incredible quality and some very fancy options if you're into that.
knifewear.com/collections/masashi-yamamoto
Ryusen. Extremely slick, fantastic fit & finish and performance!
knifewear.com/collections/ryusen
Anything forged by Satoshi Nakagawa and sharpened by Naohito Myojon. Incredible blacksmith & sharpener duo making some of the best blades available today:
knifewear.com/products/tetsujin-hamono-aogami-kasumi-gyuto-240mm
Here's an idea for a video or short. The ping that a knife blade makes when you hit it lightly with something. Notably a Moritaka AS blade. Does that ping have any bearing on the quality or construction of the knife?
That's a great idea! To my knowledge it doesn't mean anything, but fun to do regardless.
I'm pretty sure one of the tests you can do to make sure you got your heat treatment right, is holding your handleless knife slightly behind it's balance point and about 3 inches above an anvil, let the tip fall whilst still holding the knife and hit the anvil and evaluate the heat treatment by the noise it makes and how the knife bounces off the anvil
@@sacoto98 Hmm, interesting. Is this something that some knife makers do? I've never heard of this. Do you know for certain? I can imagine a well seasoned smith doing it. Thank you.
@@takleung7130 I follow this blacksmith on Instagram and from time to time he posts stories doing it and saying it's one of his ways of telling if he got the heat treatment right
Would you say the masakage yuki santoku is better than “the best santoku you ever used” the masashi vs1 kaijin santoku?
It's really a matter of personal preference. Given the choice, I would get the Masashi, but the Yuki is fantastic!
didnt expect them to pull out a zanpakuto at the end there lol
What is the right height of the table your chopping board stays on to chop effortlesely without stressing your shoulders.?ANYBOBY?
Depends on how tall you are and what feels most comfortable to you. Experiment with cutting boards of different thicknesses, I'd suggest.
that Nakagawa is 100%
Can anyone explain the use of a bunka or kiritsuke? Are they just bad-ass looking santokus and gyutos, or does the clipped tip serve an actual purpose? Would really appreciate the info.
A Bunka is just a badass santoku! They were invented around the same time and varied depending on maker. The Kiritsuke gyuto descends from the single bevel Kiritsuke. Sometimes it's just a gyuto with a more badass tip, sometimes it has a flatter edge. Some folks find the Bunka or Kiritsuke tip a little more precise, I find it about the same.
As someone looking to get my first kind of "legit" all-around chef's style knife (previously only having used $40-50 USD western chef knives), and increasingly being swayed toward a Japanese knife over German/Western style, what do you think about something like the Yoshihiro VG-10 46 layer (NSW Hammered Damascus Series) Gyuto 210mm (~190 USD)? Or, even on the more basic looking lower end something like a Tojiro (classic?) vg-10 3 layer ($100 USD).
Alternatively, might you have any others that you'd recommend I consider in the $100 - 200'ish USD range?
I'm increasingly interested in getting something with a bit more artisan/crafted look and feel to it, but wouldn't make (practical) sense for me to go too far down the rabbit hole. Thanks so much.
If I can make it work practically and financially, I'd really love a truly handcrafted kitchen knife to support the individual craftsman and artist as well.
Hey, that's awesome! I've never used the Yoshihiro but I imagine they're great! The Tojiro is a phenomenal blade, especially for the price.
One step up would be a knife from Haruyuki, like the Kokuto or Goma series.
If you want to try a handmade artisan without breaking the bank, check out the work of Masashi Yamamoto. His Kaijin line is quite affordable for how much work goes into it!
knifewear.com/collections/shop?q=masashi+kaijin
@@KnifewearKnives thanks so much for your help
@@KnifewearKnives I actually watched the full Springhammer documentary yesterday 😆I was drawn to him in that doc.
Try satake Knifes ...
That last one is kinda more of a short sword / wakizashi, than a kitchen knife :D
Totally 😂
Gleatain K-series: don’t suppose they do it for lefties?
Sadly not, hopefully one day!
So, unfortunately the only dimpled knife where the dimples make sense, makes no sense for lefties.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes! Knifewear.com
I have got a bunka zdp189. Wow. That’s all
What a great knife!
I am just wondering why are this great knife makers in Japan whose work are stunning, of great quality, and most of them are award winning are not in your list, only Satoshi Nakagawa and Yu Kurosaki made it in your list. Here are the best knife makers in Japan in my opinion, some of them produce knives that are affordable and some are expensive.
Takeshi Saji
Satoshi Nakagawa
Yoshikazu Ikeda
Tsuyoshi Yoshizawa (吉澤 剛)
Takeshi Saji 佐治 武士
Makoto Tadokoro 田所 真琴 / Tadokoro Hamono 田所刃物
Kenji Togashi
Shigeki Tanaka
Yoshikazu Tanaka 田中 義一
Yoshimi Kato 加藤 義実 / Kato Uchihamono カトウ打刃物
Yu Kurosaki 黒崎 優
Yoshito Yamakawa
Kei Kobayashi 小林 圭 / Kobayashi Hocho 小林包丁
Kisuke Manaka 間中 貴輔
Naohito Myojin
Satoshi Nakagawa (中川 悟志)
Yoshikane Hamono 吉金刃物
Yoshihiro Yauji 弥氏 良寛
Great question! These were just our picks for 2023 and we had to narrow it down. We do a video every year and have featured many of those makers in the past and will in the future!
Nothing for me, either shirogami or VG10 (not a fan of that at all) or unaffordably expensive. No, for me personally there are definitely better knives from this year or that I discovered this year like Shiro Kamo Tora or Hatsukokoro Hayabusa Santoku.