Yoshimitsu Blue #2 Nakiri 165mm

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The Yoshimitsu Company is located in Nagasaki and was established in 1852 as a wheel blacksmith. They originally obtained their steel by using a Tatara and burning iron sand in charcoal for three days and nights. While still employing this method of smelting they also employ more modern steels in the construction of their knives.

The Yoshimitsu Blue #2 Nakiri 165mm is made from a core of Hitachi Blue Paper #2 carbon steel. The nakiri we are featuring here is longer than the advertised length, 173mm, and is about average for knives of this style. It is a very square blade with very little radiusing of the tip. The height of 50mmm is also average for the breed. It is a thin blade however, with a heel thickness of just 1.8mm. This gives the knife a very responsive feel while still having the stiffness associated with most nakiris. Grind is 50/50 for use by left- or right-handed users. It comes with a nice octagonal oak handle.

Weight: 5.1 ounces / 146g

Blade Length: 165 mm

Total Length: 310 mm

Spine Thickness at Base: 2 mm

Blade Height: 50 mm

San Mai Construction

Cladding: Stainless Steel

Handle: Burnt Oak Octagonal

Trust Pictured Handle Not Video Handle

Reviews

5 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval)

My first Nakiri, some thoughts..., August 29, 2024

Posted By: Chris

Like most westerner cooks who really only know western chef knives and rollsharps, taking the plunge into the world of Eastern knives is a journey. You start out not knowing that there ARE other knives out there but western chef knives and pairing knives. Then as you mingle with other cooks and chefs you learn about eastern knives, japanese blades, chinese cleavers, etc. Then you discover different steel in different blades, and how to sharpen the blades on stones.

Obviously you have come to the journey where you want a Nakiri. And additionally maybe you feel Blue #2 steel is the perfect combo of edge retention and ease of sharpening on stones, which has led you to this knife.

Now about this knife. My particular wants in a Nakiri were that it be as thin as possible, to slice effortlessly through veg with the least amount of "drag" when cutting. This knife is VERY thin. Ill probably never meet the blacksmith but this blade is truly a diamond in the rough. At the time I bought, it was the thinnest of the Nakiris on offer from CKTG. So it ticked that box for me.

The steel... As I mentioned above, IMO, Blue #2 so far in my journey and stone sharpening skills, is by far the best steel for knives. This one was sharpish out of the box, but I spent maybe 20-30 minutes (5 minutes per stone) at work running it over 2000-12000 grit stones soaked in water for 10 minutes each and it came out scary sharp and polished. This thing is VERY easy to sharpen on stones if you have even a basic grasp of technique and practice sharpening japanese knives. I usually try for about a 15 degree angle on my japanese blades. I was worried I would not have the skill to sharpen this knife to do the blade justice but even with my mediocre stone skills the blade sang in my hands. This little gem was very easy to get a very sharp edge onto and it has held it for a month now of fairly heavy slicing/mincing/chopping work on an appropriate japanese synthetic rubber cutting board, I prefer Hasegawa myself. CKTG You should carry their boards :)

Comfort... The handle on this is a joy to use as well. I have no blisters, no soreness in my fingers from extended periods of use. Of course every hand is different so that is just MY experience. YMMV. The finish on the handle is decent. I am thinking when it starts to wear off I will give it 2-3 coats of pure Tung oil.

Care... So I know a lot of people on "the internet" cry about carbon steel rusting and how it's not stainless. So much so I kind of worried about the blade needing to be babied constantly.
Having used it for a little while now, I can say from experience, ignore those who speak about carbon steel like it's not as good as stainless and requires more maintenance. I don't know what knuckle dragging primates who say that are doing to their carbon steel blades but all you have to do is simply take a dry cloth and WIPE the blade dry when you are done chopping/mincing/slicing etc, or rinsing it off. That's literally all you have to do is just wipe it dry. Don't let standing water/juices sit on the blade for extended periods of time and the blade will be fine. Just get in the habit of using it and then immediately wiping the blade off. It is not a hard task. If you can't manage to do that minimal amount of work to care for it... I am at a loss for words and do not know what to tell you. Keep in mind also the carbon steel is sandwiched between stainless steel on each side which gives you the protection of stainless and the incredible edge retention and ease of sharpness of the #2 carbon steel that is only exposed on the edge.

Weight... This is incredibly light as well. Which helps cut down on fatigue. Even as light as it is, once sharp, it will reign down destruction upon veg work with great vengeance!

TLDR; Incredible forged blade, very thin, very light, very comfortable handle for extended use, takes an edge very easily and is very easy to sharpen on stones to scary sharp, and absolutely nukes from orbit any veg prep/work you have to get through no matter how much or how little. Blue #2 steel is incredible to work with as well as for sharpening imo.

As another reviewer below said, if you are undecided, agonizing over which Nakiri to get and sitting on the fence, just pull the trigger! I promise you, you will not regret it! This is an incredible knife from the Yoshimitsu company!