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Masashi KOKUEN Kiritsuke Gyuto 210mm

Masashi KOKUEN Kiritsuke Gyuto 210mm

Regular price $495.00 CAD
Regular price Sale price $495.00 CAD
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$3 Shipping on orders over $100 within Canada. ?

Collar/Ferule colour may vary from light brown to almost black. You can see examples of the variation here.

About Masashi Kokuen -  This blade's core is made from hard SLD steel clad in softer stainless steel, which Masashi-san can push to the absolute limit of hardness through his impressive skill and a couple of top-secret techniques. In plain English, this means they keep a crazy sharp edge for a long time but are much lower maintenance than traditional carbon steel blades. He sharpens blades in a unique way, making the back end more robust for chopping and the tip more precise for delicate work.

The dark finish of the Kokuen gives its name. Meaning ‘black smoke’ in Japanese, the Kokuen is inspired by the atmosphere of Masashi’s workshop.

First training with his brother at Yoshikane, then striking out on his own, Masashi Yamamoto relentlessly pursues the creation of a perfect knife using the traditional techniques passed down in his family and augmented by a modern understanding of metallurgy. He’s also a certified badass, forging in flip-flops and lighting cigarettes off red-hot steel like an 80’s action hero. 

About the Shape - Inspired by the profile of a traditional European chef knife, Gyutos are a multi-purpose knife with a slight meat cutting bias. “Gyuto” translates to “cow sword.” If you want one knife to do it all, This is it. Starting at 180mm, Gyutos can reach the ridiculously long (and awesome) 370mm. For the at-home or professional cook, we recommend a Gyuto which measures between 210mm and 270mm long.

Shape Gyuto
Maintenance Level Low
Blade Length 210 mm |
Blade Height 53 mm
Thickness 4.2 mm
Weight 199 g
Steel Type SLD Semi-Stainless Steel with Stainless Steel Cladding
Rockwell Hardness 63–64
Edge/Bevel Double (50/50)
Handle Wa (Japanese) Handle - Octagon Red Ebony Water Buffalo Horn Collar
Knife Line Masashi Kokuen
Blacksmith Masashi Yamamoto
Made in Sanjo, Niigata, Japan

A note about measurements: Handmade Japanese knives can vary in their dimensions, so these measurements are only an example.


A NOTE ABOUT RUST

Semi-stainless steel is a compromise between the edge retention of carbon steel
and the rust resistance of stainless. This steel will rust if you let it. To avoid “bad” rust (orange rust) Wipe the knife dry with a dry cloth after use. By this we mean: between cutting and putting the knife down, wipe it dry. Overtime the blade will begin to protect itself with an oxide layer (grey to dark grey “good” rust), this will slow the reaction time but not inhibit the rust entirely. Maintain the good habit of drying off your knife.

USE  

• Only cut food you can bite through with this knife. Hard foods can chip the blade. No olive pits, bones,  lobster shells, woody stems or parmesan rinds. Cutting frozen food is especially bad because the cold will make hard steel even more brittle. If you wouldn’t chew it with your own teeth, don’t cut it.  

• Your cutting surface is the biggest culprit of dulling your knife. Use wood. End-grain wood is especially good. Plastic can be fine too, but certainly not glass,  granite or bamboo

• The edge of your knife works best sliding forwards or backwards. Scraping the knife edge sideways will dull or damage the edge. Instead, use the spine of the knife to move foods across the cutting board. Do not twist the edge or pry with the edge, this is the worst screwdriver you ever bought and these motions will certainly damage the edge. Listen to the knife! If you can hear the edge making a “tink”  sound on the cutting board, change what you are doing.  

CLEANING  

• After use, wash the knife by hand with regular dish soap, rinse with hot water  and dry by hand immediately. Dishwashers are very bad for knives.  

• Wood handles may dry out over time and exposure to water. Simply treat them  with some food safe mineral oil or beeswax.  

• If you see orange rust, remove it. The scrubby side of a sponge can do the trick.  If it’s still not coming off try baking soda and water mixed into a paste or a product called Barkeeper’s Friend.  

STORING  

• Protect the edge; for your safety and to avoid edge damage. A simple blade cover  will do the trick if you keep knives in a drawer or travel case. 

• A convenient wall magnet made with wood is a great way to show off your knives.  Be sure to put it back spine first, then roll it onto the blade face. This will keep the  edge from contacting the wood first.  

• The good-ol’ counter top block can keep knives at the ready and protected. So can drawer inserts. Whatever the method, keep the edge from touching anything else. 

Shipping and Returns

We aim to ship your order within 1 business day at Knifewear, if there is a hold up, we'll aim to let you know and give you a timeline.

We offer $3 shipping on orders over $100* anywhere in Canada and $200* to customers in the USA. We ship worldwide, and offer up to the minute rates from our shipping partner DHL.

*Konro Grills and some other larger items are excluded from the free shipping offer.

How do I make a return on an online order?
No worries, we've got you sorted. Head over to https://knifewear.mom/returns and follow the prompts. 

Can I pick up my order Curbside / At the store?
Absolutely, as long as all the items you are looking for are in stock at the location you want to pickup from, you'll be able to select that at the checkout. If one or more items aren't at your preferred location we are happy to ship it to you. 

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Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 44 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

The Masashi KOKUEN Kiritsuke Gyuto 210mm knife is praised for its perfect balance, good weight, and incredible look. Customers appreciate its razor-sharp and thin tip, though some have mixed feelings about the blade length.

Summary topics

  • Blade Length: 18%
  • Weight: 15%
  • Balance: 18%
  • Appearance: 15%
  • Tip Sharpness: 15%

Review topics: ["weight","quality","shipping","edge","looks","finish","craftsmanship","feels","balance","service","use","knife","blade","tip","taper","hands","grip","cuts"].

Review highlights

  • "The weight balance on this knife is fantastic with a beefier blade towards the handle then tapering down to a fine tip."Jason C.
  • "I love the whole look, and the handles suit them perfectly."Sean B.
  • "My hands are on the smaller side so the grip and the weight were perfect for someone with smaller hands."Victoria B.

Reviews

Amazing knife

"This is truly an amazing specimen of craftmanship and cutlery art. The knife is balanced, thick near the handle and razor thin at the point, perfect both in shape, size and weight. if you are looking for the perfect knife that can do it all, this is it! On top of it all, it is gorgeous: from the handle to the tip. Thanks to the knifewear staff, awesome as always."

Filippo (5/5)

Great knife

"Cuts like a laser and is comfortable in the hand. Feels and look very premium in materials."

Jason K. (5/5)

Great knife

"Lots of fun to use and pretty to look at"

Dylan s. (5/5)

Great! Probably not for beginners tho

"Its an amazing knife, very sharp, beautiful, very thin at the edge and it feels amazing. Buuuut you probably shouldnt get this knife if you are comoletely new to using japanese knives as the edge is very delicate because of its thinness. If you think you can be carefull enough go ahead and buy it tho xD its a blast to use"

Marco H. (5/5)

Quickly became my favourite knife

"I finally decided to pick up a Masashi KOKUEN knife when Masashi-san came to Ottawa after years of looking at them. The weight balance on this knife is fantastic with a beefier blade towards the handle then tapering down to a fine tip. Great for fine tip work then get down to some serious chopping. Should NOT have waited this long!"

Jason C. (5/5)

$500 dollar knife

"This knife is exquisite and worth every penny. I purchased it as a gift for my daughter who turned 32."

Deborah M. (5/5)

Super Sharp!

"The knife was a gift that made the person so very happy to have the knife. Really great quality and worth the price. Thank you Knifewear."

Anthony V. (5/5)

Awesome knife

"Super sharp out of the box, I love using it."

Cole R. (5/5)

Amazing knife. Good hight and

"Amazing knife. Good hight and good weight. I use it daily in the Kitchen."

Iannis G. (5/5)

Absolutely boss knife

"This knife is the new king of my kitchen. How can it be both a workhorse and a laser? The edge is so damn sharp out of the box, and the tip is scary thin. But the spine is robust and I feel like I can use this knife on just about anything. Can’t wait to manufacture an excuse to buy another Masashi in the not-too-distant future!"

Jeff G. (5/5)

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