Honyaki Gyuto knife, Shirogami 2 Carbon steel, mirror polish finish, red urushi handle - Ikeda

This gyuto is made by the legendary Yoshikazu Ikeda. He is the current chairman of the Sakai dentokogeshi (traditional skilled crafts)association.

SHAPE: Mizu Honyaki Gyuto. Japan's answer to the chef's knife with a thinner profile. Gyuto translates to cow sword. This is a honyaki - or true-forged - blade. These blades use a mono steel construction which is then differentially hardened. This basically means the edge is harder than the spine. The wave line, or hamon, seen on the blade face is an indication that the blade has been hardened in this way. These are the hardest knives to make and failure rate is high.

STEEL: Shirogami (white) 2 steel. It is a reactive carbon steel which is easy to sharpen and holds an edge well. This steel is often chosen for traditional-style Japanese knives. Due to the non stainless nature of this steel care must be taken to dry the knives properly after use.

FINISH: Mirror polish

HANDLE: Octagonal Red Urushi lacquer handle

BLADE LENGTH: 225mm

MAKER: Yoshikazu Ikeda - Sakai City, Japan

These knives are hand-forged so there may be slight variations in measurements and finishes.