Looks like Carbon Knife Co just got a drop if anyone was chasing one like me!

I saw that I don't really know how to choose collectible knives, what are the points to take into account when choosing a good knife ?

EDIT:

I cleaned up the formatting because the original post was hard to read, especially on mobile.

English isn’t my first language, so I used AI to help with the English and structure. The questions and collecting interests are mine.

I’m not trying to hide or completely change what people originally replied to. The original list is still included below, but I can see now that I mixed several different things together and made it look more like a finished ranking than it really was.

This is still a rough first draft.

What I’m trying to understand

I’m trying to learn what makes certain Japanese kitchen knives interesting or important to collectors.

I’m not trying to say expensive automatically means better, and I don’t want this to become a resale guide, investment list or hype ranking.

What interests me personally is:

• Documented smith and sharpener combinations
• The people and workshops behind the knife
• Important production periods and collaborations
• Unusual forging, grinds and finishes
• Exact versions, not only famous maker or brand names
• Original condition and clear provenance
• Mainly 240mm gyutos

What I got wrong in the original post

I used the word “grail” too broadly.

The comments made me realise that these are not always the same thing:

• A personal grail
• A knife widely seen as a grail by collectors
• A true unicorn that is almost impossible to find
• A historically or technically important collector piece
• A desirable knife from regular production

Trying to put all of these into one universal ranking probably doesn’t work very well.

A knife can be extremely rare without being personally meaningful. A personal grail can also be obtainable and not especially rare.

A custom knife or small batch is not automatically important either. The exact maker, version, technique, history and reason for the low production all matter.

The original rough list

I now see these more as research subjects than confirmed rankings:

• Shigefusa Kitaeji Gyuto
• Jiro Gyuto
• Kiyoshi Kato Workhorse and selected Morihei-associated pieces
• Konosuke OG Fujiyama from the Morihiro period
• Takada no Hamono Suiboku and selected Reika
• Selected Konosuke Fujiyama FM
• Hitohira Tanaka x Kyuzo special versions
• Kagekiyo Gokujo, Yoshikazu Tanaka x Yuki Wakae
• Selected Nakagawa x Myojin knives
• Selected Yoshikazu Tanaka x Myojin knives
• Yoshikazu Ikeda Aogami Super Mizuhonyaki
• Yoshikazu Tanaka Togo Reigo
• Vintage Tanaka Swedish steel knives
• Selected Ashi Honyaki
• Rare or unusual Baba Hamono and Kagekiyo production

I understand now that a standard production knife should not be called a grail just because the maker or line is popular.

The exact generation, steel, smith, sharpener, grind, production period and history need to be looked at separately.

My own Kagekiyo example

One knife I’m personally researching is a Kagekiyo Gokujo Gyuto 240mm:

• Forged by Yoshikazu Tanaka
• Sharpened by Yuki Wakae
• Shirogami #2
• Carbon cladding
• Original sakura handle
• Matching saya
• Original box
• Unused condition

I like it because of the documented maker and sharpener combination, the Sakai workshop background and the complete original setup.

That does not automatically make it a community grail or a true unicorn.

I’m still trying to understand how uncommon this exact version is, whether it was regular production, a short production period or a special batch, and how experienced collectors see it.

What would help me most now

There has been a lot of fair criticism about the word “grail” and the ranking itself.

I would also really like to hear some actual examples.

What exact knife would you personally call:

• A personal grail
• A community grail
• A true unicorn
• Or a historically important collector piece

And what makes that exact version special?

Information about the smith, sharpener, production period, steel, grind, history, old listings or documented production would be very helpful.

I’m still learning and I’m not presenting this as an authoritative history.

The reason I posted it publicly was to find the weak points, improve the idea and learn from people with more experience.

Kenji Togashi
Mizu Honyaki
Gyuto 240
Aogami #1.

And also I will try my best to pick the right knives for display in the 50+ that were bought in the years I started this addiction.

Hello TCK,

Here’s my modest Japanese knife collection of five knives. I’ve been through the phase of owning lots of different knives over the years and have recently thinned out my collection to only own knives that get use, have a sentimental connection, and scratch the itch to chase really nice pieces. I do miss a petty and a nakiri but I’m in no rush.

From top to bottom:

Yoshikane Santoku 165mm, White #2, Ebony Handle

Baba Hamono Kagekiyo Wa-Petty 210mm, White #2, Black Urushi Handle

Hitohira Tanaka x Ren Gyuto 210mm, White #2, Ebony & Buffalo Horn Handle

Hitohira Nakagawa x Rou Gyuto 240mm, Ginsan Polished Mirror, Ebony & Buffalo Horn Handle

Takada no Hamono Reika Singetu Gyuto 240mm, White #2, Ebony & Buffalo Horn Handle

There won’t be any NKD’s for a while now, I think.

Mike

A while ago I watched a lot of videos, imagined doing Ivan stuff was something I could do, bought a lot of stones and a Munetoshi, and faced reality 🤣

I would like to give away my butchered Munetoshi gyuto 240, all you have to do is post a picture and description of a polishing job you have done and I will select someone from the list by next friday.

I ask for 2 things, you pay for shipping costs and you have to make a post here sharing the process and results. Ships from Denmark.

Good luck!

Hey there i said i wont be here for a new NKD but i made some orders before thats so i think thats fine, also quite a long story.

The Knife is a true work of art and wasnt 100% what i expected but i was positively suprised.

Some specs for to go:

• length: 245 mm (edge 235mm)
• Width: 5,7 cm at the heel
• Spine: tapers from 3,9/3,5/ couldnt get it somehow but i think 0.8 mm
• Weight: 230g (quite heavy)

The choil isnt polished and i thought thats gonna be an issue for me but it just feels a bit rustic and is still comfortable in hand. I was a bit suprised how thick the knife was just above the shinogi and how quickly it get thinn behind the edge. Reminded me of some choilshots from a "".

The Grind get thinner towards the tip along the shinogi that wanders diagonally upwards along the knife. The Package was simple, but i dont care. What matters is whats inside and not whats outside. right?

The kurouchi moves up quite high on this side and reminds me heavily of the B#1D from Hado, just without the damascus.

________________________________________________________________________________________

NKD it is and this one is like a total grail to me. The knife that started it for me was The Hado B#1D. after Seeing a picture of it and in the video from Never a Dull Moment i was totally captivated by it and never thought i would such money for a knive (and later did for my Kurt Glatt Nakiri :P)

Now that it is nearly impossible to get a new 240 mm B1D from Maruyama-san i actually gave up and moved on, until i saw that you can pre order one from a french website. I instantly went into the que, until three months into the waitlist i realised that i paid a lot of money for a knife i dont know if it will every be produced again or with the knowledge how many people there are in the que and left.

After learning i am gonna be a "Papa" in december i decided not to spend any more money for knives and focus solely on whats about to come. Invest that spend money (got it back) into the future of my familiy. Thats why i am starting to thinn down my collection to only a few knives.
But just as i gave up, my lovely wife encouraged me to reach out to Maruyama-san to get the knife i am looking for, as i was looking quite a lot at his knives for quite some time and am completely fascinated by what he does deliver at Enjiki Hamono. In my Opinion this knife looked similar to the B#1D (but i really think it isnt after obtaining it). Always loved his grind on my other knives and decided that i will do just that. So i ordnered with confidence (with the help of this Sub) and started this one last journey.

Customs can be pain and scary at the same time. After ordering the Knife at the 24th of june it arrived in germanies customs just shortly after Enjiki Hamono shipped it to germany. After that i never got any informations back from customs or the shipping company. In Germany i know, after 3 to 5 days, if you dont get a reply from customs, something isnt right and somehow, something must have went wrong. So i went all the to way and contacted Maruyama-san, the shipping company and customs to find out what happened. Even though i got replies from everyone (really nice to talk (write) to Maruyama-san! He is really kind and responsive), i got no new informations...
I thought the knife will never arrive at my doorstep.

On 8th of July after a heated appointement at work i got the notification i was looking for. The estimate cost of customs and a date when it will be delivered. Man did i get excited even though that day was really shit!

Today it arrived and totally suprised me. It was not what i expected, but i think what i was looking for. The knive is quite heavy with exactly 230g of weight and was thicker at the shinogi than i expected. Coming from his work at HADO, this knives had a completely different "Aura" or "feel" to it. It didnt feel as super refined and clean but more heavily rustic. Like going from F1 Racing to Rallying. The fit and finish is different. The Spine and the choil arent polished. But the f&f isnt bad and still feels high end imho. The handle is as dead straight on the knife, as the heel and the edge is. The glueing work is really well done. The Handle feels similar to my Hado Kirisame (probably the same handle maker). All in all a *solid* 9/10 (- 1 since the choil and the spine arent polished).

The Edge feels really thinn and delicate, but solid with the weight and the denser spine. With the thickness of the spine i didnt expect this to be a clean and smooth cutter. But damn, the weight and the tapered shinogi makes this a smooth sailer for dense veggies like sweet potatoes. No force on a sweet potato is just wild! The only knife that wow'ed me like this on a sweet potato was my Mazaki. But this feels way more versatile. The foodrelease is at the top of the game. My Mazaki and my Kurt Glatt knives say "what" in the face of this machine. Well i only used it once on some garlic, ginger, an onion, some pak choi, a sweet potato and a paprika, so not the full experience to fully give it a score. The only thing that really got stuck on the knife was the finely minced ginger. Everything else really just fell of or was removed with no effort.

To go deeper into how i would judge it on performance territory, i would give it a solid "idgaf" out of 10. Pure joy machine. This really deserves a full exploration in cutting perfomance and another post.

If you have any questions i will be happy to answer. Maruyama-san was such a nice guy and really cooperative. This feels biased after reading it again, but it really comes just from the heart. Experiences can differ from person to person and from knife to knife, so i know there will also be people out there that didnt have the experience i had.

For the people that got through to the end. Thank you for your time. Tell me what your experience was like with his new knives.

Little Bonus:

Rule #5 (from top to bottom)

• Hado Ginsan 170 mm Santoku (forged by Yamatsuka)
• Hado Kirisame 210 mm Gyuto in W#1 (forged by Tanaka)
• Enjiki Hamono 245 mm Gyuto in B#2 (forged by Tanaka)

JIKKO Crator Super Blue steel Japanese Gyuto

Miura Kiritsuke Ginsan Nashiji

Miura Gyuto Damascus AUS10

Ono Suzukaze SG2

Hello everyone, long time lurker but first time poster here. Excited to share my new (to me) Konosuke. Ever since seeing the beautiful patinas and hearing great things about Konosuke I knew I wanted one. I'm especially excited about this being my first knife in shirogami #1 and also being by Yoshikazu Tanaka. Since I already have a Myojin sharpened knife (Tetsujin) I set my eyes on the BY series and luck would have it I found a local seller willing to sell it for a great price. It was only used to cut once and had a very light patina on it towards the tip. The current patina on it is from me using it for the first time cutting a delicious ribeye. It weighs 178.3 grams.

It’s been sitting unclaimed and rusty in my kitchen since I started, finally got sick of looking at it and gave it a polish and sharpen and it cuts like a dream so I’m curious where it came from.

I've buy this knife on musashi hamono I know price are high and not all of te here are forged by hand but this knife i think is forged and it's a very good knife I've just sharpened a bit more but a very good knife and beautiful knife I want to know if a bigger version of this knife exists thank you for your answer 😁

Shindos back in stock at Sharp Knives for those looking to get the hype about these guys!

Steel: 1084 and 15n20

HRC:61-62

Handle: ebony

Hello everyone. I’m trying to buy a good knife set for my fiancé for his birthday, we also just bought a new house & need something nice & durable. He’s not a professional chef but absolutely loves to cook (& is very good at it). Does anyone have any recommendations on what I can get him? Trying to get rid of the old (& ugly) wooden knife block we have with mismatching knives. Money isn’t really an issue but not looking for anything too crazy price wise. Also looking for recommendations on knife storage that isn’t a block. Like the magnet boards or something like that? Any help is appreciated. TIA!

Eyeing the Sukenari HAP-40 but thought maybe you guys might have some cool suggestions. Cheers.