Thank you very much for doing a review on this knife! I have been struggling to decide which Japanese knife will be my first knife to purchase. I managed to narrow the list down to 4 Japanese blacksmiths and your enthusiastic and honest review has convinced me to get this knife! My wife is also Asian and I think it will be perfect for her to use!
Hello knife person, it's so good to see you back, I've missed you. I see that you're still doing your bit for the Japanese export drive :-)) I cannot remember a time when Mrs. Wako was NOT camera-shy! Thanks for posting these pretty , pretty knives.
Just got a Shizuku Nakiri made by Yu Kurosaki and it is a great knife. The food release properties of these knives are excellent and R2 is an excellent steel for the kitchen, holds an edge for a long time and gets very sharp. He is a truly talented smith, I believe he apprenticed under Hiroshi Kato who I am also a big fan of. I definitely plan on buying more of his knives in the future, the fact that he is still young makes his work even more impressive.
Just bought the Yu Kurosaki Shizuku SG2 nakiri from this range to start improving my Japanese knives from factory produced (Tojiro, Mac) and move onto artisan knives. I haven't got a specialist vegetable knife so it seemed a sensible place to start. It's possibly the most beautiful knife I've ever seen.
I have a Yu Kurosaki petty knife same steel and tsuchime finish, it's great. My more favorite is my santoku from Konosuke in SKD steel. Which may be lesser steel, but the handcraft and blade grind of Konosuke are exceptional.
I love his knives. I currently use a knife from his brother Makoto as my everyday work knife. Ive only used their aogami steels, havent had the chance to try their powder metal stuff. Love your videos.
Now we're talking! I am in love with this Japanese knife and can sleep with it. I am just too bored watching too many of your reviews of USA knives (they aren't bad - but they are not novel to me as I see them all the time at my local dealers). Great review.
Yes, Kurosaki knives are great. I have a few from his Aogami Super line with a Kurouchi finish and love them. I have not tried any in R2, though. Sure looks stunning. BTW, his older brother Makoto makes great knives in white steel as well as R2.
Hello Virtuovice, I do mostly the cooking at home, my children likes my cooking, we live in London, England but I was born in the Philippines. I use a kitchen knife made by British brand similar ergonomics and contour like the YU YUROSAKI R2 SANTOKU KNIFE. When you weight it, I was surprised how light it was and the handle seemed very light and easy. I haven't use R2 knife personally but because of similarity to my favourite knife I use on a daily basis, however It must be a better than my British brand knife in reference to R2's contour, ergonomics and lighter in weight. When you said that YOU WOULDN'T MIND USING THE R2 ALL DAY LONG, I like it! It's a shame we don't get that brand in London!
You have to buy online. Carbon steel knives fell out of favour (especially in the West) because a lot of people don't know or care to maintain them, and most Japanese knives are made using carbon steel. The steel in this video, R2, is a stainless steel, but more expensive than what most would be willing to pay due to the process required to make it.
Thank You, Dr. Wako for all of your wonderful videos, and for sharing your knowledge and family life. I enjoy all of them, and watching is an education. I have recently bought this knife, the Yu Kurosaki knife, that you have recommended. It is beautiful. Could you please advise me about sharpening maintenance. Would stropping with bark river white and black compound work for maintaining a sharp edge? Thank You again!
Very informative and helpful! My parents anniversary is soon, maybe now I will buy the real Japanese kitchen knife, instead of shun “handcrafted” knife.
I always wondered about laminated steel. Considering that the core on many that I have handled had VG10, which is very hard and brittle, and the laminate is softer steel to absorb shock to protect the core. I wonder why, so often I can easily see the core material well above the lamination line, how the softer steel can bolster it, if so much of the core is exposed? On your knives, this is not the case. I can see the lamination line, but it is much closer to the apex than the knives I was referring to in V10. For laminated steels, I would prefer a blade like these, with the ratio of exposed core minimized.
Depends on the maker. I've seen Japanese kitchen knives with the lamination line closer to the apex. Besides the obvious difference in technique from smith to smith, there's also whether they use stock removal or forging. Some maker do the lamination process themselves and trim steel before the lamination, some use prefabricated san-mai billets. If the maker use prefabricated san-mai billets, you are bound to see more exposed portion of the core steel.
Greetings Virtuovice, I would like your opinion on Bark Rivers CPM M4 knife steel. I just bought the Gunny Sidekick with M4. Have not used it yet. Thank you for all your excellent knife research. I appreciate learning from your videos.
But those decorative hammer marks - do they make the knife harder to clean and possibly harbor bacteria and offer some resistance to cutting compared with a smooth blade?
Try a shibata kotetsu gyuto its a good bit better than kurosaki. Its thinner and have a better grind. Or a konosuke gs+ or konosuke hd or gesshin ginga ia also thinner and better cutters. I havent found a knife better than my shibata kotetsu gyuto thats fpf sure. His bunka to is extremely good
Thinner isn't better, especially if you want it to be versatile, it just means it will slide through better. A lot of people say Japanese knives shouldn't go though fish spines or split heads, but the reality is, people do it anyway (especially when their knife is supposed to be all-purpose), which is where a thicker blade is good. Personally I like a gyuto a bit thicker than most would like in a home kitchen setting, which is one of the reasons why I abandoned my Sakai Takayuki 45 layer damascus.
Hello Doc. I am following your channel for over 5 years now. Why did you stop uploading English hunting videos( or do it very rare)? Miss them a lot. Some years ago, you used to go hunting very often, which is not the case anymore. Why, what has changed? Even knives videos are now rare. Is there a reason? Has CZcams policy anything to do with this? Or is it something else? Please answer.
I still hunt 20 stags regularly every season. I understand I have already figured out what the elements are to make a good deer hunting knife. I have finished my research of knives and sharpening. So I have little things to make a video on in English. The new CZcams policy gives no sponsors to hunting videos which include graphic scenes, but the videos themselves remain without sponsors, so it's no problem to me. I still have something to show and say to Japanese people about various themes other than hunting and knives. So I post more to my Japanese channel. Thanks.
I have two knives I am very interested in trying as hunting knives and was wondering if you had any experience with either. The Cold Steel ultimate hunter folding knife with cts xhp steel and the Lionsteel M4 knife in m390 steel. They both seem like they would be good hunting knives.
I own a Nakiri from the same line and it is not a convex grind, nor a zero grind. It looks like he establishes the primary bevel one of those large rotating wheel water stones because the bevel is actually slightly hollow ground. They are very thin behind the edge but they do have a secondary bevel so sharpening is done in the standard fashion. I'm very impressed by my particular example of his work and it has won me over, I will be looking to buy more of his knives in the future.
In general, santoku tends to be cheaper knives (unless made from special steels) because they are marketed towards the home kitchen. In his case however, since it's made using R2 and by a famous maker, normal rules regarding santoku is not applicable. The santoku knife in the video is in the $200USD range. A Yu Kurosaki Gyuto made using R2 would be in the $300USD range. That's actually acceptable prices for professional kitchen knives considering the steel and length (price increase with each length increment).
Tremulousnut thanks for your comment... it would be a better comparison if a similar handmade knife was compared to this knife not some cheap mass produced kitchen knife..
Doctor, what is your thoughts about the geometry on a edc blade. I carry a 940, with a V edge. 40degree inclusive. I watched your benchmade griptilian video. Very imformitive. Cheers Doctor. Wishing you and your family a blessed holiday.
The Benchmade 940 in S30V looks like the best EDC knife to me. We are forbidden to carry a knife in a town and cannot edc a knife. But if I were allowed to, I would carry the 940. Flat grind with a V edge fits a variety of uses in my opinion. I would love its slender design to carry in my pocket. Thanks.
virtuovice thank you for you input doctor, I appreciate your feedback, as i view it as supreme knowledge. Sorry to hear that your area is super strict with carry laws. Maybe one day you will be able to enjoy the 940, I thought NYC was crazy with carry laws! Godbless enjoy the holiday and New Year with your family!
I doubt very much that the santoku knife is the best in Japan. How would Mr. virtuovice know that without making comparisons with a large number of similar knives. The point of balance that he demonstrates is typical of Japanese knives. I do believe it is superior to the Shun, but that isn't saying much. This is not a serious video, just unsubstantiated opinion.
Of course it's just opinion, there's no way to prove one knife is "better" in every way to others. I can confirm that Yu Kurosaki makes excellent knives and they are among the best knives being made in Japan currently. He apprenticed under Hiroshi Kato who is a legendary master blacksmith who has been making knives for over 50 years. I have examples of knives made by both smiths and they are excellent, they blow knives made by the large manufacturers like Shun out of the water. What impresses me most about Kurosaki is he is still young and his work will only improve over time and he is already one of the best blacksmiths in Japan.
Thank you very much for doing a review on this knife! I have been struggling to decide which Japanese knife will be my first knife to purchase. I managed to narrow the list down to 4 Japanese blacksmiths and your enthusiastic and honest review has convinced me to get this knife! My wife is also Asian and I think it will be perfect for her to use!
Glad to see a video in English! My favorite CZcams channel!
Glad to see you back thank you for sharing
Hello knife person, it's so good to see you back, I've missed you. I see that you're still doing your bit for the Japanese export drive :-)) I cannot remember a time when Mrs. Wako was NOT camera-shy! Thanks for posting these pretty , pretty knives.
Just got a Shizuku Nakiri made by Yu Kurosaki and it is a great knife. The food release properties of these knives are excellent and R2 is an excellent steel for the kitchen, holds an edge for a long time and gets very sharp. He is a truly talented smith, I believe he apprenticed under Hiroshi Kato who I am also a big fan of. I definitely plan on buying more of his knives in the future, the fact that he is still young makes his work even more impressive.
Just bought the Yu Kurosaki Shizuku SG2 nakiri from this range to start improving my Japanese knives from factory produced (Tojiro, Mac) and move onto artisan knives. I haven't got a specialist vegetable knife so it seemed a sensible place to start. It's possibly the most beautiful knife I've ever seen.
I have a Yu Kurosaki petty knife same steel and tsuchime finish, it's great. My more favorite is my santoku from Konosuke in SKD steel. Which may be lesser steel, but the handcraft and blade grind of Konosuke are exceptional.
In the end you are entering the japanese kitchen knife world. You will be amazed!
Glad to see you back Wako San.....thanks for sharing a beautiful Japanese handmade knife!
Great to see you back. And the Japanese characters were interesting also. Thank you.
look who is back thank you
I love his knives. I currently use a knife from his brother Makoto as my everyday work knife. Ive only used their aogami steels, havent had the chance to try their powder metal stuff. Love your videos.
Just found your channel and like it very much. I use to live in Iwakuni Japan. Love Japan and the people. Thanks for the videos.
Now we're talking! I am in love with this Japanese knife and can sleep with it. I am just too bored watching too many of your reviews of USA knives (they aren't bad - but they are not novel to me as I see them all the time at my local dealers). Great review.
Yes, Kurosaki knives are great. I have a few from his Aogami Super line with a Kurouchi finish and love them. I have not tried any in R2, though. Sure looks stunning. BTW, his older brother Makoto makes great knives in white steel as well as R2.
Classic Japanese knives!! Beautiful!!
Beautiful knife! Glad to see you're posting videos and doing well.
Hello Virtuovice, I do mostly the cooking at home, my children likes my cooking, we live in London, England but I was born in the Philippines.
I use a kitchen knife made by British brand similar ergonomics and contour like the YU YUROSAKI R2 SANTOKU KNIFE. When you weight it, I was surprised how light it was and the handle seemed very light and easy.
I haven't use R2 knife personally but because of similarity to my favourite knife I use on a daily basis, however It must be a better than my British brand knife in reference to R2's contour, ergonomics and lighter in weight.
When you said that YOU WOULDN'T MIND USING THE R2 ALL DAY LONG, I like it!
It's a shame we don't get that brand in London!
You have to buy online. Carbon steel knives fell out of favour (especially in the West) because a lot of people don't know or care to maintain them, and most Japanese knives are made using carbon steel. The steel in this video, R2, is a stainless steel, but more expensive than what most would be willing to pay due to the process required to make it.
All sold out. Thanks for the review
Great video...I always enjoy your videos... keep making more
I bought many knives based solely on your reviews is there a website you can post that carries these knives thank you and keep the videos coming
Hello from Miami Florida thank you for sharing great video God bless...
Thank You, Dr. Wako for all of your wonderful videos, and for sharing your knowledge and family life. I enjoy all of them,
and watching is an education. I have recently bought this knife, the Yu Kurosaki knife, that you have recommended.
It is beautiful. Could you please advise me about sharpening maintenance. Would stropping with bark river white
and black compound work for maintaining a sharp edge? Thank You again!
Finally! i was missing your videos!
Very informative and helpful! My parents anniversary is soon, maybe now I will buy the real Japanese kitchen knife, instead of shun “handcrafted” knife.
Very nice kitchen knife Wako
Thanks so much for sharing with us doctor!
I always wondered about laminated steel. Considering that the core on many that I have handled had VG10, which is very hard and brittle, and the laminate is softer steel to absorb shock to protect the core. I wonder why, so often I can easily see the core material well above the lamination line, how the softer steel can bolster it, if so much of the core is exposed? On your knives, this is not the case. I can see the lamination line, but it is much closer to the apex than the knives I was referring to in V10. For laminated steels, I would prefer a blade like these, with the ratio of exposed core minimized.
Depends on the maker. I've seen Japanese kitchen knives with the lamination line closer to the apex.
Besides the obvious difference in technique from smith to smith, there's also whether they use stock removal or forging. Some maker do the lamination process themselves and trim steel before the lamination, some use prefabricated san-mai billets. If the maker use prefabricated san-mai billets, you are bound to see more exposed portion of the core steel.
Greetings Virtuovice, I would like your opinion on Bark Rivers CPM M4 knife steel. I just bought the Gunny Sidekick with M4. Have not used it yet. Thank you for all your excellent knife research. I appreciate learning from your videos.
Great video!
But those decorative hammer marks - do they make the knife harder to clean and possibly harbor bacteria and offer some resistance to cutting compared with a smooth blade?
roll eyes! ;>)
They are so that food is less likely to stick / vacuum to the knife. it makes cutting food more easy
Beautiful well designed knife. Is there a website to order them internationally. Thank you & thumbs up!
Try a shibata kotetsu gyuto its a good bit better than kurosaki. Its thinner and have a better grind.
Or a konosuke gs+ or konosuke hd or gesshin ginga ia also thinner and better cutters.
I havent found a knife better than my shibata kotetsu gyuto thats fpf sure. His bunka to is extremely good
Thinner isn't better, especially if you want it to be versatile, it just means it will slide through better. A lot of people say Japanese knives shouldn't go though fish spines or split heads, but the reality is, people do it anyway (especially when their knife is supposed to be all-purpose), which is where a thicker blade is good.
Personally I like a gyuto a bit thicker than most would like in a home kitchen setting, which is one of the reasons why I abandoned my Sakai Takayuki 45 layer damascus.
Personally I like a bit of heft on the spine with a very thin grind, not a total laser, just my two cents.
Thankyou
I watched this first on your japanese language channel and hoped you would to an english one. Thanks!
rewtuser what is the name of his other channel?
Jeremy white, it's JPSikaHunter
Hello Doc. I am following your channel for over 5 years now. Why did you stop uploading English hunting videos( or do it very rare)? Miss them a lot. Some years ago, you used to go hunting very often, which is not the case anymore. Why, what has changed? Even knives videos are now rare. Is there a reason? Has CZcams policy anything to do with this? Or is it something else? Please answer.
I still hunt 20 stags regularly every season. I understand I have already figured out what the elements are to make a good deer hunting knife. I have finished my research of knives and sharpening. So I have little things to make a video on in English. The new CZcams policy gives no sponsors to hunting videos which include graphic scenes, but the videos themselves remain without sponsors, so it's no problem to me. I still have something to show and say to Japanese people about various themes other than hunting and knives. So I post more to my Japanese channel. Thanks.
I have two knives I am very interested in trying as hunting knives and was wondering if you had any experience with either. The Cold Steel ultimate hunter folding knife with cts xhp steel and the Lionsteel M4 knife in m390 steel. They both seem like they would be good hunting knives.
Octagonal my friend :) ì looked up his knives and many are sold out
You have to try out the mora flex for sashimi
Could you do some food cutting with these three kitchen knives? Where do you buy the 240mm kurosaki gyuto? Thanks
Japanese writing is very interesting
I love that hunting knife
Beautiful! Because of the full convex, would you only use a strop to sharpen this?
I own a Nakiri from the same line and it is not a convex grind, nor a zero grind. It looks like he establishes the primary bevel one of those large rotating wheel water stones because the bevel is actually slightly hollow ground. They are very thin behind the edge but they do have a secondary bevel so sharpening is done in the standard fashion. I'm very impressed by my particular example of his work and it has won me over, I will be looking to buy more of his knives in the future.
How do the knifes prices compare to each other? Are they all priced equaly, in Japan at least?
In general, santoku tends to be cheaper knives (unless made from special steels) because they are marketed towards the home kitchen.
In his case however, since it's made using R2 and by a famous maker, normal rules regarding santoku is not applicable. The santoku knife in the video is in the $200USD range. A Yu Kurosaki Gyuto made using R2 would be in the $300USD range. That's actually acceptable prices for professional kitchen knives considering the steel and length (price increase with each length increment).
Tremulousnut thanks for your comment... it would be a better comparison if a similar handmade knife was compared to this knife not some cheap mass produced kitchen knife..
Thank you. Where can we buy this knife ?
Doctor, what is your thoughts about the geometry on a edc blade. I carry a 940, with a V edge. 40degree inclusive. I watched your benchmade griptilian video. Very imformitive. Cheers Doctor. Wishing you and your family a blessed holiday.
The Benchmade 940 in S30V looks like the best EDC knife to me. We are forbidden to carry a knife in a town and cannot edc a knife. But if I were allowed to, I would carry the 940. Flat grind with a V edge fits a variety of uses in my opinion. I would love its slender design to carry in my pocket. Thanks.
virtuovice thank you for you input doctor, I appreciate your feedback, as i view it as supreme knowledge. Sorry to hear that your area is super strict with carry laws. Maybe one day you will be able to enjoy the 940, I thought NYC was crazy with carry laws! Godbless enjoy the holiday and New Year with your family!
did you ever try a cKc kitchen knife?
Say Heah Virtuvice, ありがとうございました.,,.p
黒崎 優
Wow $280 US dollars!
Well, I've paid more than that for a pocketknife, so I can't complain too much about the price.
I second Tadafusa great knifes at a good price.
Its a beuit.
20th.
Why are you holding a knife all day long?
He is referring to people who make a living with a knife such as a chef. Use you imagination.
I doubt very much that the santoku knife is the best in Japan. How would Mr. virtuovice know that without making comparisons with a large number of similar knives. The point of balance that he demonstrates is typical of Japanese knives. I do believe it is superior to the Shun, but that isn't saying much.
This is not a serious video, just unsubstantiated opinion.
Of course it's just opinion, there's no way to prove one knife is "better" in every way to others. I can confirm that Yu Kurosaki makes excellent knives and they are among the best knives being made in Japan currently. He apprenticed under Hiroshi Kato who is a legendary master blacksmith who has been making knives for over 50 years. I have examples of knives made by both smiths and they are excellent, they blow knives made by the large manufacturers like Shun out of the water. What impresses me most about Kurosaki is he is still young and his work will only improve over time and he is already one of the best blacksmiths in Japan.