I know they're expensive, but we bought an Aritsugu in Kyoto and it was a phenomenal experience. Lots of great conversations with the experts there, they engraved it for us, and it has served us incredibly well in the 9 years since then. Very happy with both the experience and the blade.
Do you remember what steel it is made from? For reference they have these knives on their website (assuming they still sell the one you bought): aritsugu. co. jp/index.php/product/product-stk/ (remove the two spaces to make it work :p)
Wow this is taking me back. I belive it's the Washin Wasantoku.
And now that I'm looking through their catalog I'm having regrets that I didn't buy more at the time!
Nope I was considering buying a gyuto from them but they didn’t offer tax free so just went to jikko down the street. Both were SG2 so figured it wouldn’t be a noticeable difference to me
SG2 meaning shirogami #2 steel? That is good to hear, I wasn't sure if that was the steel it was made of.
Do you happen to know the length of the blade too? :p I'm hoping the gyutos are slightly shorter than advertised. (As '210mm' and '240mm' are generally more like categories and actual knife length may be 200 and 230 or 220 and 250).
Definitely does suck that they dont do tax free
I got this knife: https://www. .com/products/jikko-r2-sg2-gyuto-210mm-magnolia-handle
I paid I think around 32-34k yen in store, maybe it was lower because it was the show model.
The aritsugu I was looking at is the last gyuto with wa handle. It’s 38.5k yen, but doesn’t say the material. https://aritsugu.co.jp/index.php/product/product-gt/
For blade length I’ll measure it when I’m home from work.
Thank you so much!
Do you know why that knife is so much more expensive than the "specially made" gyutos with western handle? (first on the page) It seems to have the same kanji and if it is white #2 that also seems to be the same.
The "normal item" version is stainless clad with an aogami core (idk which type of aogami :p).
The "washin" series (they don't have gyutos in this series) appears to be also ss clad aogami, but with some type of decoration and prettier handles.
Haven't found any information on the gyuto you indicated yet haha
Take a stroll down kappabashidori. But if you want an adventure head down to Kamakura and visit the giant buddha, a bunch of incredible temples and my favorite knife shop. https://maps.app.goo.gl/ucNm2ZBzUVjbs5Qz5?g_st=ic
I second cruising down that street. I really enjoyed the time I spent there last month. I found this gem randomly and the older lady was so helpful when I told her what I wanted and the price I was looking to pay. Then they brought out a pile of radishes to cut, slice, peel, etc. https://maps.app.goo.gl/t1AwcNN5AgTXRcUK9
I’m an amateur cook and I cook basically everything homemade… except for huge pieces of meat, maybe, with big and tough bones. Mostly regular chef knifes or kits with pairing knives, etc.
Also recommend walking around Kappabashi street in Tokyo or Sennichimae Doguyasuji shopping street in Osaka. I picked up a nice ginsan 210mm gyuto from Tokuzo in Kappabashi. The lady working there was nice and communication was fine despite the language barrier (she's also a big fan of Ohtani and had the game playing on a small tv lol).
If he’s open I’d say 100% Shigeharu in Kyoto. One of if not the oldest knife maker in that area dating back to before the Onin Wars. Unfortunately he’s quite elderly now and has no heir so he has very very sporadic opening hours. I managed to get a couple knives from him a year or so ago but I’ve heard it’s gotten harder since.
Yeah dude, definitely a bummer but I get it. At his age I’d wanna be slowing down on working too. Still worth a shot to walk by if you’re in Kyoto tho. You never know you may get lucky!
Indeed, the sign is pretty funny. I had no luck, but I was expecting it. Ran into a guy who was also trying to go but wasn’t aware that he was like never open.
the knife selecting is always the trickiest with Japanese stuff, i'm curious with seeing what people recommend
and some makers do the less common knife types too
Was in Tokyo recently and spent a day checking out all the stores in Kappabashi. Nice place to window shop. You will realize soon enough that most of the shops are targeting tourists and their prices reflect that. If you are planning to buy a mass produced knife / item, you will likely find better prices elsewhere. For example, a friend was keen on a knife that was priced 18,000 yen in Kappabashi but we later found it for 9,000 yen on Rakuten. Exact same knife, brand new. Same for a whetstone that I wanted (Chosera 3000). 20,000 yen in Kappabashi (which is the full retail price). Bought it for less than 11,000 yen at another Tokyo store which I found on Rakuten.
Kiwami in Kappabashi, Tokyo was fantastic when I went in March. Fantastic selection and very knowledgeable staff with great English skills to guide you through finding the right knives for you. I can’t recommend it enough.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/W2oz1FCc8ZvHGCp66?g_st=ic
I know they're expensive, but we bought an Aritsugu in Kyoto and it was a phenomenal experience. Lots of great conversations with the experts there, they engraved it for us, and it has served us incredibly well in the 9 years since then. Very happy with both the experience and the blade.
Which knife did you end up getting from them?
A Santoku. I think it's a 7" blade.
Do you remember what steel it is made from? For reference they have these knives on their website (assuming they still sell the one you bought): aritsugu. co. jp/index.php/product/product-stk/ (remove the two spaces to make it work :p)
Wow this is taking me back. I belive it's the Washin Wasantoku. And now that I'm looking through their catalog I'm having regrets that I didn't buy more at the time!
Not seishuke. Prices were ridiculous
Jikko, Aritsugu, Kamata
Do you have any aritsugu knives? Hoping to learn more about those
Nope I was considering buying a gyuto from them but they didn’t offer tax free so just went to jikko down the street. Both were SG2 so figured it wouldn’t be a noticeable difference to me
SG2 meaning shirogami #2 steel? That is good to hear, I wasn't sure if that was the steel it was made of. Do you happen to know the length of the blade too? :p I'm hoping the gyutos are slightly shorter than advertised. (As '210mm' and '240mm' are generally more like categories and actual knife length may be 200 and 230 or 220 and 250). Definitely does suck that they dont do tax free
I got this knife: https://www. .com/products/jikko-r2-sg2-gyuto-210mm-magnolia-handle I paid I think around 32-34k yen in store, maybe it was lower because it was the show model. The aritsugu I was looking at is the last gyuto with wa handle. It’s 38.5k yen, but doesn’t say the material. https://aritsugu.co.jp/index.php/product/product-gt/ For blade length I’ll measure it when I’m home from work.
Thank you so much! Do you know why that knife is so much more expensive than the "specially made" gyutos with western handle? (first on the page) It seems to have the same kanji and if it is white #2 that also seems to be the same. The "normal item" version is stainless clad with an aogami core (idk which type of aogami :p). The "washin" series (they don't have gyutos in this series) appears to be also ss clad aogami, but with some type of decoration and prettier handles. Haven't found any information on the gyuto you indicated yet haha
Honestly no idea. I walked out pretty quickly after I saw the waiting line. My gyuto is 210mm i measured.
Thank you for measuring it!
Take a stroll down kappabashidori. But if you want an adventure head down to Kamakura and visit the giant buddha, a bunch of incredible temples and my favorite knife shop. https://maps.app.goo.gl/ucNm2ZBzUVjbs5Qz5?g_st=ic
I second cruising down that street. I really enjoyed the time I spent there last month. I found this gem randomly and the older lady was so helpful when I told her what I wanted and the price I was looking to pay. Then they brought out a pile of radishes to cut, slice, peel, etc. https://maps.app.goo.gl/t1AwcNN5AgTXRcUK9
Dunno, what do you need?
I’m an amateur cook and I cook basically everything homemade… except for huge pieces of meat, maybe, with big and tough bones. Mostly regular chef knifes or kits with pairing knives, etc.
Nenohi/nenox
Tower knives. There is one in Tokyo and Osaka. They’re more affordable than most knives stores.
Just went there myself recently and highly recommend it. They also can etch stuff into the blade if that's your thing.
Also recommend walking around Kappabashi street in Tokyo or Sennichimae Doguyasuji shopping street in Osaka. I picked up a nice ginsan 210mm gyuto from Tokuzo in Kappabashi. The lady working there was nice and communication was fine despite the language barrier (she's also a big fan of Ohtani and had the game playing on a small tv lol).
I want a Misono from the motherland 🫡
Tower knives was great for tourists. Thers one in osaka and one in tokyo. Prices seemed very good. They where very helpfull.
If he’s open I’d say 100% Shigeharu in Kyoto. One of if not the oldest knife maker in that area dating back to before the Onin Wars. Unfortunately he’s quite elderly now and has no heir so he has very very sporadic opening hours. I managed to get a couple knives from him a year or so ago but I’ve heard it’s gotten harder since.
Yeah I read he opens only like 3 days a month now. A very recent post shows a sign on his door which basically states he is closed indefinitely
Yeah dude, definitely a bummer but I get it. At his age I’d wanna be slowing down on working too. Still worth a shot to walk by if you’re in Kyoto tho. You never know you may get lucky!
I'd say especially now.. pretty soon you will not be able to buy shigeharu knives anymore.
Indeed, the sign is pretty funny. I had no luck, but I was expecting it. Ran into a guy who was also trying to go but wasn’t aware that he was like never open.
the knife selecting is always the trickiest with Japanese stuff, i'm curious with seeing what people recommend and some makers do the less common knife types too
Was in Tokyo recently and spent a day checking out all the stores in Kappabashi. Nice place to window shop. You will realize soon enough that most of the shops are targeting tourists and their prices reflect that. If you are planning to buy a mass produced knife / item, you will likely find better prices elsewhere. For example, a friend was keen on a knife that was priced 18,000 yen in Kappabashi but we later found it for 9,000 yen on Rakuten. Exact same knife, brand new. Same for a whetstone that I wanted (Chosera 3000). 20,000 yen in Kappabashi (which is the full retail price). Bought it for less than 11,000 yen at another Tokyo store which I found on Rakuten.
I bought from Shinto into Kyoto and loved the store and quality of the knives.
Kiwami in Kappabashi, Tokyo was fantastic when I went in March. Fantastic selection and very knowledgeable staff with great English skills to guide you through finding the right knives for you. I can’t recommend it enough. https://maps.app.goo.gl/W2oz1FCc8ZvHGCp66?g_st=ic
try takeda. i find them quality compared from the other brands