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Minonokuni Knives
Authentic Japanese blades (hochoes) hand-forged using traditional Japanese methods of old-world craftsmanship; Minonokuni knives are part of a project designed to preserve and protect the master/apprentice relationship. Even as demand for Japanese knives has grown; the skilled masters are aging, and it has been difficult to keep apprentices. While the methods of construction mastered over the centuries have changed very little, the methods of bringing the pieces to market is dramatically different. Then Knife Merchant was asked to assist by bringing knives from various masters in different types of material to market, so that the craftsmen can concentrate on their work and keep the apprentice fully employed, without the burden of stopping production to make sales. Minonokuni is the name of a prefecture (state) that existed in the days of the Samurai. It encompassed a wide area including Seki-City and Sakai, which are the areas of Japan in which our craftsmen are making these blades. This is why we have chosen this as a brand name to represent these knives. You will find the quality to be far superior to comparable material types. When the knife maker has his name on the blade (instead of working for a company), there is greater pride and care taken in little details that make a great difference in final quality. Minonokuni knives are now available in a variety of grades to suit every need and price point.
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Minonokuni Raku Ao-Ko Super Tsuchime 180mm Gyuto
We are proud to offer works of Japan's Minonokuni Blacksmiths. The Raku series (Aogami Super Blue Steel). In Japan Raku means "being happy" as well as "being easy (to maintain)." In other words they would like you to imagine a person who cooks happily using a hocho that is sharp and easy to maintain due its superior steel. This 180 mm. (7.1in.) Gyuto is an exceptional all purpose knife from finely filleting fish to chopping a bushel of carrots this Gyuto will do it with ease. The rounded handles on Japanese Gyuto's make working easier as the knife can gently spin and move in your palm. A handforged Gyuto of this size is hard to come by making this a rare handmade product of Japan. The Super Blue Steel used in this Raku Gyuto is known for holding a fine edge for much longer than competitive steel types and is easy to reshapen. Some knives use very hard steel types that hold an edge for a good while, but hard steels can be very hard to resharpen. This is not the case with Super Blue which responds very well to ceramics and whetstones. These incredibly unique Hochos are forged by experienced Japanese Blacksmiths using the best blade and handle materials available.
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