Honesuki Archives - The Sharp Cook

Shimomura, the manufacturer of Murato brand, began its blacksmithing business in Sanjo in 1874. They started producing sickles and forged knives inheriting the long tradition of Sanjo craftsmen, an area among the most famous knife producing regions in Japan. Over time they evolved their business in producing also stainless steel kitchen knives and cutting tools. With excellent quality control processes, Shimomura assures top quality at affordable prices. Razor sharp out of the box and with great looks. A great choice for starters in the Japanese knives world or for those that seek Japanese top quality without breaking the bank. Tsunouma range is the entry level range of Murato. Made of Molybdenum Vanadium Stainless steel which holds an edge for a long time and with a Pakka wood western handle to fit all hand sizes. Reliable, sharp and requiring minimum care are ideal for people new to the Japanese knives world or bor beginners to practice their sharpening skills.

The founder of Tadafusa, Sone Torasaburo started the company from nothing in the 23rd year of the Showa era in 1948. He made various kinds of knives such as sickles, short swords and kitchen knives by using the forging techniques he learned as an apprentice making hand-forged metal scales. He gradually started to specialize in making fishing knives and then also address a need to create kitchen knives for home and professional use and special knives for Soba up to today. Since the company’s foundation, they strive to create “the best products” for customers by hand through every single process and to make each knife with utmost enthusiasm. The SLD Hammer tone series has one of the most distinctive hammered patterns in Japanese knife making. Each blacksmith has its own Tsuchime pattern. Their Tsuchime is based on geometric diamond pattern, which has been familiar from ancient times in Japan. Hitachi SLD Steel has more chromium than carbon steel such as Blue Paper Steel or White Paper Steel, which means that it is more resistant to rust but not fully stainless (semi stainless). Also, it holds a sharp edge and a long edge retention by its hardness and toughness. It is popular steel for kitchen knives in Japan. The Honesuki is a rather small knife specifically created for filleting chicken and poultry. It’s the Japanese equivalent to the boning knife with a flatter and higher profile. This design makes it easy to chop through the joints of the chicken (rabbits etc) when you ‘re filleting them. The tip of the knife is usually thin, so it can glide easily through flesh. The heel of the blade is used for hard bits, and the tip is used for articulate slicing. The 150mm is the most common size.

Brand / Blacksmith:	Tadafusa
Series:	SLD Hammer Tone
Knife type:	Honesuki 150
Blade Length / Total length (mm):	150/290
Grind:	50/50
Finish:	Tsuchime / Hammered
Steel type:	SLD (semi stainless)
Forging method:	San Mai
HRC hardness:	62 - 63
Handle type / Material / Ferrule:	Wa Octagonal / Wooden ferule
Spine Thickness at heel / tip (mm):	3/0,4
Blade height at heel (mm):	40
Weight (gr):	114
Notes:

Murato Tsunouma Honesuki 145mm

Tadafusa SLD Hammer Tone Honesuki 150mm