Blue 1 steel laminated in wrought iron using warikomi construction. The cladding was forged from a link salvaged from an old ship anchor chain. The craftsman of these gyuto is Kyoto based Yoshitaka Yamada, the 7th generation blacksmith of Kanetaka. As with many long established blacksmithing houses in Japan, the history of this workshop can be traced back to the early Edo period, when it became more common for swordsmiths to make other forms of cutting tools. Currently in his early 50s, Yoshitaka Yamada runs Kanetaka Hamono as we know it today. He has been producing a wide variety of cutlery since he began blacksmithing over 30 years ago. Leather knives, razors, pruning knives, carpentry tools and cooking knives.
Although Yamada-san's workshop noticeably is smaller than a lot of other knife making workshops in Japan, there is no compromise on the quality of his work. He has a rather unique style and skillset, and is very experienced at refining wrought iron from reclaimed articles. His heat treatment of aogami steel is also comparable to the best that Japan has to offer.
These gyuto are thicker, workhorse style blades with a very functional edge profile. Ground with a shinogi, the primary bevels have been dialed in on whetstones slightly, and finished to somewhat of a "working" finish. The hira features an etched and brushed finish. The contrasting surfaces do well to highlight the slaggy layers in the iron. All the work on the blade - forging, grinding and engravings are done by Yamada-san himself.
Edge Length: 245mm
Spine thickness above heel: 4.7mm
Height at heel: 54.5mm
Weight: 285g
Description credit : Migoto Cutlery