R-2 steel is manufactured by the Kobelco Steel Company. It is a powdered steel which exhibits really good strength, excellent wear resistance, and the ability to take a very sharp edge. The same steel can be found in other knives but it is called SG-2. These are the same alloys but the SG-2 brand is resold and rebranded by Takefu Specialty Steels.
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Takayuki Shibata is a young blacksmith working out of his shop in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima, Japan. It is here that he developed his very unique line of Kotetsu knives. Kotetsu translates to “ironclad,” which was the name given to the first ironclad battle ship in the Japanese Navy. It had a very distinctive pointed bow which allowed it to carve through water with ease and efficiency.
This is the basic mantra of his knives. They are made very thin—laser thin. They are endowed with a beautifully formed profile and razor sharp cutting edge. The fit and finish are of the very highest standards. The sides of the knife have a rough finish to reduce friction between the food and the blade. The spine of the knife has a very high mirror-polish. This maximizes friction between your fingers and the blade, for better control, comfort, and safety.
The final word on these unique and beautiful knives belongs to the master. “In my kitchen and in my workshop, I am always thinking about you, my customer. I hope that my knives will surprise and delight you. May your cooking life be enriched! With loving thanks from my kitchen to yours.” -ShibaMaker: Shibata San
Location: Fukuyama City
Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai
Steel: R2
Weight: 6.2 ounces
Blade Length: 250 mm
Total Length: 386 mm
Spine Thickness at Base: 2.1 mm
Blade Height: 51.4 mm
NO BONES OR FROZEN FOODS
Please note the small name change to "Koutetsu" as of 6/11/2021.
Takayuki Shibata is a young blacksmith working out of his shop in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima, Japan. It is here that he developed his very unique line of Kotetsu knives. Kotetsu translates to “ironclad,” which was the name given to the first ironclad battle ship in the Japanese Navy. It had a very distinctive pointed bow which allowed it to carve through water with ease and efficiency.
This is the basic mantra of his knives. They are made very thin—laser thin. They are endowed with a beautifully formed profile and razor sharp cutting edge. The fit and finish are of the very highest standards. The sides of the knife have a rough finish to reduce friction between the food and the blade. The spine of the knife has a very high mirror-polish. This maximizes friction between your fingers and the blade, for better control, comfort, and safety.
The final word on these unique and beautiful knives belongs to the master. “In my kitchen and in my workshop, I am always thinking about you, my customer. I hope that my knives will surprise and delight you. May your cooking life be enriched! With loving thanks from my kitchen to yours.” -Shiba
Reviews
8 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) A truly spectacular example of what a Craftsman can produce!!Posted By: Mike Hansen
3 people found this review helpful
I have made the transition from carbon steel to R-2/SG2 powdered stainless steel and this has been the highlight of that change!! This knife is, as the title suggests, a Craftsman's masterpiece. OOTB F&F is stellar and Sharpness second to none IMHO.
I felt that I wanted to take the already suburb sharpening to a new level. I finished the left side to a 6Kpolish with my Arashiyama 6K stone and the right side to an 8K polish with my Shapton Pro 8K stone. Why you ask? This is based on a recommendation from CKTG forums.
The knife is a laser and performs better than I thought possible. It is easy to sharpen and holds an edge for a looooong time. I periodically will strop the knife especially after a long kitchen session. This is not because it required stropping - it is just my own persnickety attitude regarding keeping my tools in top working order.
If there were one bad thing to say about this marvelous piece of kitchen kit, I have not been able to uncover it. Perhaps it may take a kitchen professional to bring this knife to its true potential, but I feel that if you take pride in the work that you do in your own home kitchen (your greatest admirers are there after all), that you too deserve something to help raise your skills to the next level. This knife has helped me immensely in this regard and may do the same for you as well. Not always in stock, but when it is snap it up!!
3 people found this review helpful
I have made the transition from carbon steel to R-2/SG2 powdered stainless steel and this has been the highlight of that change!! This knife is, as the title suggests, a Craftsman's masterpiece. OOTB F&F is stellar and Sharpness second to none IMHO.
I felt that I wanted to take the already suburb sharpening to a new level. I finished the left side to a 6Kpolish with my Arashiyama 6K stone and the right side to an 8K polish with my Shapton Pro 8K stone. Why you ask? This is based on a recommendation from CKTG forums.
The knife is a laser and performs better than I thought possible. It is easy to sharpen and holds an edge for a looooong time. I periodically will strop the knife especially after a long kitchen session. This is not because it required stropping - it is just my own persnickety attitude regarding keeping my tools in top working order.
If there were one bad thing to say about this marvelous piece of kitchen kit, I have not been able to uncover it. Perhaps it may take a kitchen professional to bring this knife to its true potential, but I feel that if you take pride in the work that you do in your own home kitchen (your greatest admirers are there after all), that you too deserve something to help raise your skills to the next level. This knife has helped me immensely in this regard and may do the same for you as well. Not always in stock, but when it is snap it up!!
Thin. Definitely something to get used to.Posted By: agibbs
3 people found this review helpful
As the title states, this knife is super super thin. Thinner than the Swedish Stainless Konosuke. Its so thin that the tip area flexes a bit, which makes me a bit nervous but hey....
I've only used the knife a couple of times (havent had it long) and these are my first impressions rather than a review. First things first, this knife melts anything that you put up against it. No joke, several times I didn't even realize the thing I was cutting was already cut. It just slides through anything.
Second thing is that my copy of the knife hovers around 260 mm (I ordered the 240 mm, don't know if I got the 270 sent to me by accident). That's important to note because if you aren't comfortable with big knives, I strongly suggest the 210 or even something smaller. You need to have really good technique to maintain this knife properly because of how thin the edge is. The more comfortable you are the better your technique. Also if you were debating on either getting this or the 210 and you were thinking "Ill just pay the extra 25 and get a bit more knife.." you might get more than what you bargained for.
This knife is without question one of my sharpest knives and I love the R2 steel. The thinness behind the edge takes some getting used to (especially for me because I don't own anything this thin) but overall this is a wonderful knife. I would strongly suggest only pros get it (at this size at least).
3 people found this review helpful
As the title states, this knife is super super thin. Thinner than the Swedish Stainless Konosuke. Its so thin that the tip area flexes a bit, which makes me a bit nervous but hey....
I've only used the knife a couple of times (havent had it long) and these are my first impressions rather than a review. First things first, this knife melts anything that you put up against it. No joke, several times I didn't even realize the thing I was cutting was already cut. It just slides through anything.
Second thing is that my copy of the knife hovers around 260 mm (I ordered the 240 mm, don't know if I got the 270 sent to me by accident). That's important to note because if you aren't comfortable with big knives, I strongly suggest the 210 or even something smaller. You need to have really good technique to maintain this knife properly because of how thin the edge is. The more comfortable you are the better your technique. Also if you were debating on either getting this or the 210 and you were thinking "Ill just pay the extra 25 and get a bit more knife.." you might get more than what you bargained for.
This knife is without question one of my sharpest knives and I love the R2 steel. The thinness behind the edge takes some getting used to (especially for me because I don't own anything this thin) but overall this is a wonderful knife. I would strongly suggest only pros get it (at this size at least).
Excellent large laserPosted By: John Tucker
2 people found this review helpful
I have the Shibata 175mm Bunka and 210mm Gyoto. Both the R2 models. Both stunning knives with the 210mm my favorite in my kitchen. The 240mm feels noticeably weightier in the hand than the 210mm but exceptionally balanced. After a few weeks of use, blade edge is excellent with only the use of a ceramic steel for maintenance. Very highly recommended if you're looking for something in the 240mm length.
2 people found this review helpful
I have the Shibata 175mm Bunka and 210mm Gyoto. Both the R2 models. Both stunning knives with the 210mm my favorite in my kitchen. The 240mm feels noticeably weightier in the hand than the 210mm but exceptionally balanced. After a few weeks of use, blade edge is excellent with only the use of a ceramic steel for maintenance. Very highly recommended if you're looking for something in the 240mm length.
Great gift Magnificent blade finished by an expertPosted By: ChefJeff - verified customer
3 people found this review helpful
Gorgeous, scary sharp (after Mark applied his sharpening magic) and obviously finished by a first rate craftsman. This knife is not for heavy chopping, whacking up turnips or breaking down chickens but in the right hands it will go through softer stuff quickly and precisely. ChefJeff is a nickname laid on me by my family, not an occupational title. This blade deserves hands more skilled than mine, hands that can cope with its length, the thinness of its edge and that wicked point. As suggested above, working professionals will get the best from it.
3 people found this review helpful
Gorgeous, scary sharp (after Mark applied his sharpening magic) and obviously finished by a first rate craftsman. This knife is not for heavy chopping, whacking up turnips or breaking down chickens but in the right hands it will go through softer stuff quickly and precisely. ChefJeff is a nickname laid on me by my family, not an occupational title. This blade deserves hands more skilled than mine, hands that can cope with its length, the thinness of its edge and that wicked point. As suggested above, working professionals will get the best from it.
Superb with excellent weight. True craftsmanship Spectacular Blade!Posted By: Chris - verified customer
2 people found this review helpful
I recently picked this knife up. What a razor sharp edge! After using a Wustof having this thin elegant blade feels truly amazing. This knife doesn't do rock chopping like a classic European blade or a traditional Gyuto but pull cuts and slicing is a dream with this knife. The knife arrived in a timely manner and the customer service from CKTG was spectacular. the only complaint I have is a very minor cosmetic blemish on the blade.All in all a great knife and a true representation of the Shibata motto Art Over Beauty!
2 people found this review helpful
I recently picked this knife up. What a razor sharp edge! After using a Wustof having this thin elegant blade feels truly amazing. This knife doesn't do rock chopping like a classic European blade or a traditional Gyuto but pull cuts and slicing is a dream with this knife. The knife arrived in a timely manner and the customer service from CKTG was spectacular. the only complaint I have is a very minor cosmetic blemish on the blade.All in all a great knife and a true representation of the Shibata motto Art Over Beauty!
240mm glutPosted By: Nick Talam - verified customer
4 people found this review helpful
This has excellent bite OOTB and when finished on fine stones is stupid sharp but the edge is very very delicate so good for super fine cuts definatly no rock cutting hacking of any kind. The tip is needle sharp, i found this kind of annoying so you might want to round it off on a fine stone so you can push cut but apart from that a phenominal knife, only would recommend to professionals
4 people found this review helpful
This has excellent bite OOTB and when finished on fine stones is stupid sharp but the edge is very very delicate so good for super fine cuts definatly no rock cutting hacking of any kind. The tip is needle sharp, i found this kind of annoying so you might want to round it off on a fine stone so you can push cut but apart from that a phenominal knife, only would recommend to professionals
