Hocho

I have none of these left at this point, most were given away as gifts or with sword purchases to say thank you. If you are interested, I can give you some vague instructions to the forge of Tsunahiro in Kamakura where you can purchase these yourself.

These are handmade Japanese kitchen knives, by the swordsmith Tsunahiro. He traces his lineage back 24 generations to Masamune, and records this in his signature. I only have a handful of these available. Those purchasing one of my Juyo Token will get one of these for free while they last...

These are very sharp, and beautifully made, with Japanese magnolia wood handles. They are made of two grades of steel, a high carbon edge and a low carbon body. The backs of the knives are very thick, making them very robust and durable, with a solid feeling in the hand.

click here to view the 12 picture slideshow for these knives.

10.5cm cutting edge, chopping and mincing knife

10.5cm cutting edge, chopping and mincing knife, left handed bevel, [$150]

18cm cutting edge, chopping and mincing knife

24cm cutting edge, sushi and sashimi knife

18cm cutting edge, Tokyo style vegetable knife

Tsunahiro made one showpiece knife intended for a professional chef. This hocho is large, and has a cutting edge of 22cm. Instead of having high carbon steel welded to form the cutting edge, it is formed entirely of high carbon steel, and differentially heat treated in the manner of swords.

As a result, it has a nice gunome hamon. There is no hadori on the knife, just a functional and artistic rough polish, but the hamon shows nicely.

22cm cutting edge, professional chef's knife