Yusaku Blue #2 Kurouchi Kiritsuke 245mm

The Yusaku Blue #2 Kiritsuke is made by a young up-and-coming blacksmith we have recently discovered. His name is Kousuke Muneishi and he is a 3rd generation blademaker heralding from Tosa. His grandfather started the Muneishi Cutlery Mfg company in 1955 to produce farming and forestry tools. His son took over management of the business and continues making these specialized cutting tools using mainly Aogami #2 steel.

Now grandson Kousuke has begun making kitchen cutlery to expand the family business and add to his blademaking skills. We are very impressed with these first efforts and have high hopes of a long relationship with this talented young man.

We have named these knives Yusaku and the kanji on the blade reflects this branding. The last character is pronounced Yu, but also can be pronounced as Suke when used in a name. The first kanji is Saku and it means work. So Yu-Saku means the work (or produced by) of Kousuke!

The first offering is a nice 240mm kiritsuke made from Blue #2 steel that is laminated with a soft iron. He uses the san-mai method and leaves the forger’s scale (kurouchi) on the blade face. The grind is very well realized and quite sophisticated. It is thin behind the edge and has a nice profile that will match most kinds of cutting styles.

These are high value knives that belie their keen price. The overall package of well executed grinds, good fit and finish, and an all-purpose design add up to a knife that will appeal to many users, both professional and home based.

Brand: Yusaku

Blacksmith: Kousuke Muneishi

Location: Tosa, Japan

Constrcution: Hammer Forged, San Mai

Edge Steel: Hitachi Blue #2

Cladding: Soft Iron

Finish: Kurouchi/Sand Blast Shinogi

Edge Grind: Double Bevel (See Choil Shot)

Weight: 7.4 oz (210 g)

Blade Length: 243 mm

Overall Length: 396 mm

Spine Thickness at Heel: 3.4 mm

Blade Height: 47.1 mm

Handle: Burnt Urushi Octagonal