Sakai Kikumori Kikuzuki Kasumi 180mm Kiritsuke Santoku
Sakai Kikumori Kikuzuki Kasumi 180mm Kiritsuke Santoku
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Sakai Kikumori’s Kikuzuki Kasumi series feature a subtle satin hairline finish, convex grind, and rounded and polished choil and spine.
This series is forged by Yoshikazu Tanaka, a blacksmith based in Sakai City, Osaka. He has over 50 years of experience and is formally recognized as a master craftsman known as 'Dentoukougeishi' by the Japanese government. He works alongside his son Yoshihisa Tanaka, and they produce some of the most well regarded hand forged blades in the world. Relying on traditional techniques, they forge knives meticulously, doing all their heat treatments by eye, and coax incredible toughness and grain structure out of high carbon steels.
Sakai Kikumori is the flagship brand of Kawamura Hamono, producing top quality Japanese and Western style kitchen knives in Sakai, one of the oldest knife making centers in Japan. They have been producing knives since the 1920’s and have maintained long standing relationships with some of the best blacksmiths and blade grinders in Sakai.
Blade Material: Shirogami #2 carbon steel core and soft iron cladding
Handle Material: Magnolia wood and buffalo horn.
Hardness: 63-64 HRC
Blade Length: 7.25" (180mm)
Cutting Edge: 6.25" (160mm)
Overall Length: 12.25" (310mm)
Height at Heel: 44mm
Thickness of Spine at Heel: 2.68mm
Weight: 4.3 oz (122 grams)
**Extra care is required with carbon steel. No soaking or dishwashers! Dry well in between uses to avoid rust. Blade will develop a patina (discoloration) with normal use.
**To avoid chipping, keep away from bones, frozen foods or other hard foods and pits.
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I had a bit of a love hate with this one, and that's probably my fault. The edge length is notably shorter than the blade length and I should have been better about doing some real world looking and feeling of it instead of being stuck on the specs. You lose about 1" of edge length from the stated blade length, which is noticeable.
With that said, I do use the knife a lot and it's replaced a lower quality nakiri as my go-to for veggies, and especially sweet potatoes. It's quite thin and the core steel is hard so it holds an edge well. The handle is comfortable and I like the control of the knife. The blade profile is very flat so I don't like using it too much for turning corners, but the k-tip does help with this a lot when compared to a flat front nakiri.
Everything is finished really well without sharp spots on the handle, heel, or spine. The thickness behind the edge is great for slicing and this thing is a laser. I do feel like the satin sides can stick some to wetter items and I have gravitated towards kurouchi finish blades both for aesthetics and I feel like it pushes food off the side of the blade better.
For small to medium fruit and veggies, this is a great knife. For going after a head of lettuce or cabbage, that lose of 1" edge length is noticeable and this is not my 1st choice. I don't process a lot of those so not a big deal for me. A nakiri or Chinese chef's works better for things like that, IMO, especially since you can scoop from the cutting board easier with those.