I had my new knife. Now I wanted to give it a name. The shape eminded me of something...what was it?
The Koutetsu
Japan's first ironclad ship. Her name means, literally, "Ironclad." The Koutetsu had a very unusual bow. It looks like my knife. And the Koutetsu was the first in her class, and she used a pioneering, "cutting-edge" design - just like my knife.
The Koutetsu was formidable - just like my knife. And the Koutetsu was ironclad - somewhat like my knife. My knife is actually steel clad with steel. Inside I put SG-2 (R2) stainless powder steel. Outside, I have clad it with stainless steel sides. This 2-steel combination is easier to sharpen, and it keeps its edge better, and it resists damage better.
In my kitchen I was using a gyuto knife. It was a beautiful knife. But it was a little too curved for my liking. Didn't make enough contact with the food. So I switched to a straight-edged nakiri. Better for chopping vegetables. But when I was cutting meat, then I wanted to go back to my gyuto. Hmm, I thought. Somebody should make a new type of knife, one that falls between a gyuto and a nakiri. And then, as I am a knife maker, I thought that I should make it. So I did.
I gave it a slightly curved edge. Too-straight produces too much friction. Too-curved reduces contact with the food. This slight curve is my attempt at a happy medium.
I also gave it a sharp point. This is very nice for scoring vegetables, or squid, or chicken.
The spine of the knife has a very high mirror-polish. This maximizes friction between your fingers and the blade, for better control, comfort, and safety.
The sides of the knife have a rough finish, to minimize friction between the food and the blade. This is especially noticeable with foods that have a high water content. My knife's rough sides break up the water's surface tension, allowing the blade to slide through more easily.
Diese wunderschönen Messer wurden von Shibata Takayuki hergestellt und entworfen. Die sehr dünn ausgeschmiedeten und geschliffenen Klingen sind rasiermesserscharf und gleiten dank dem sehr flachen V-Schliff mühelos durch knackigstes Gemüse. Dank der rostfreien Aussenhaut und dem SG-2 (R2) Pulverstahl ist das Messer absolut rostbeständig. Für den Griff wird ausgesuchtes Rosenholz verwendet in 8-eckiger Ausführung und ist somit für Links und Rechtshänder geeignet. Die Zwinge besteht aus schwarzem Pakkaholz. Der Übergang von der Klinge zum Griff ist versiegelt damit nichts in den Griff eindringen kann. Alle Klingenkanten sind sauber auspoliert, das Messer ist perfekt verarbeitet. Die Messer haben einen rasiermesser scharfen Werksschliff und werden in einer schwarzen Karton Geschenkverpackung ausgeliefert.
Besuch bei Shibata Takayuki im Mai 2016