Crescent Moon Over Fuji Mizu-Honyaki Chef's Knife (Gyuto) - 240mm / 9-1/2

Product Description for Crescent Moon Over Fuji Mizu-Honyaki Chef's Knife (Gyuto) - 240mm / 9-1/2

Maker: (Sakai) Jikko (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 104631
Blade length: 10.30 in.
Cutting edge length: 9.30 in.
Total length: 15.90 in.
Blade height (at heel): 2.10 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.12 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.11 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.06 in.
Item weight: 9.20 oz.
Shipment weight: 20 oz.
Blade: Mirror polished, hand forged Shirogami 2 carbon steel with a mizu-honyaki heat treatment
Bolster: Buffalo horn ferrule
Handle: Octagonal ebony handle
Description: The gyuto is the essential kitchen knife. It's used for all the same purposes as a chef's knifeā€”all-around food preparation, but the gyuto has less curve than a Western chef's knife, which means it contacts the cutting board along more of its length, so more food is cut per slice. This Crescent Moon Over Fuji Gyuto has a gentle roll off the tip compared to the large roll of a Western style knife, so it needs to be lifted less, making cutting more efficient. This is a spectacular knife!
Jikko's traditional knives are highly sought after by professional chefs and show the tremendous skill of this renowned craftsman. This exceptional chef's knife has been in a private collection. It has never been used to cut. By all appearances, Jikko could have made it yesterday. This knife was hand forged by (now retired) master craftsman Kenichi Shiraki.
Rather using the san mai (three-layers) technique, mizu-honyaki knives are forged from a mono-steel and heat treated using a technique borrowed from Japanese swords. This Moon of Fuji chef's knife is handmade from shirogami #2 (white paper #2) carbon steel. The spine is coated with clay prior to quenching. This insulates the top of the blade and results in a keen, hard cutting edge with a soft, supportive spine. The transition line from softer to harder steel is called a hamon. Here, the hamon was created to resemble Mt Fuji, with a crescent moon rising above it. Honyaki takes more skill to forge and shape than other techniques. Of all the Japanese knives, mizu-honyaki knives have the greatest kirenaga (staying sharp the longest), but they are also slightly more fragile than other knives and can chip if used improperly. Quenching the knife in water ensures the very best edge holding possible. A mirror polish is exceptionally dramatic and provides limited protection from rusting (though oiling with camellia oil is still strongly encouraged).
The handle is octagonal and is formed from ebony with a buffalo horn ferrule. This ambidextrous knife will work equally well for right and left handed users. The blade comes razor sharp.


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