Shibata Koutetsu R-2 Gyuto 210mm

The Shibata Koutetsu line of R-2 knives are made by young bladesmith Takayuki Shibata out of his shop in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima, Japan. His first line of kitchen knives have a very distinctive design philosophy which can best be explained by the master himself:

“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.”

Shiba makes use of the popular R-2 powdered stainless steel alloy to fashion the jigane (inner layer) which then receives a hagane (outer layer) of a softer stainless steel. A lovely hand executed rough finish is applied to this layer to aid in food release, especially in items with a high water content.

These laser-like blades are finished to the highest standards and then matched to a lovely octagonal rosewood handle and pakka wood ferrule.

If you look at the 4th photo you can see a carrot sliced on the right was cut by a good, but ordinary, kitchen knife. The slice on the left was cut by a Shibata Koutetsu.

We think Shibata-san is really onto something, and we think you might agree!

Weight: 4.9 oz (140 g)

Blade Length: 211 mm

Total Length: 358 mm

Spine Thickness at Base: 1.9 mm

Blade Height: 46.7 mm

NO BONES OR FROZEN FOODS

Please note the small name change to "Koutetsu" as of 6/11/2021.