Masamoto Sohonten | SKU: MASA_KS4327_SU270

Masamoto Sohonten Hongasumi White 2 Sujihiki 270mm KS4327

Name: Masamoto Sohonten Hongasumi White 2 Sujihiki 270mm KS4327
Brand: Masamoto Sohonten
SKU: MASA_KS4327_SU270
Price: 14135.00 TWD
Availability: OutOfStock

$14,135.00

IMPORTANT: Carbon steel knives can rust or patina quickly if not cared for properly. They require regular cleaning, drying, and oiling. If you are unfamiliar with carbon steel maintenance, we recommend choosing a stainless steel option instead.

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St Peters, NSW —
2 Bishop St, Unit 2, St Peters NSW 2044
+61 2 8234 8818
Crows Nest, NSW —
107 West St, Shop 1, Crows Nest NSW 2065
+61 2 8234 8848
Pickup only
Prahran, VIC —
180 Commercial Road, Shop 1, Prahran VIC 3181
+61 3 8199 9948
Pickup only

Detailed Specifications

Line	Masamoto KS Series
Profile	Sujihiki / Slicer
Weight	126 g \| 4.4 oz
Edge Length	276 mm \| 10 55/64″
Heel Height	37 mm \| 1 29/64″
Width @ Heel	2.0 mm \| 5/64″
Width @ Mid	1.7 mm \| 1/16″
Width @ 1cm from Tip	0.8 mm \| 1/32″
Steel	White 2 / Shirogami #2 \| Carbon
Blade Construction	Nimai - Soft Iron Clad
Hardness (HRC)	60 - 64
Surface Finish	Kasumi
Handle	D Shaped Ho Wood Black Ferrule
Region	Tokyo
Best for	Pro chefs Collectors

Free shipping for knives over AU$200 Australia wide.
World-wide shipping via DHL Express, 3 to 5 days.

The KS line is Masamoto Sohonten's Hongasumi White 2 family, and most of what we list under it is single bevel: yanagiba and kiritsuke yanagiba, deba and mioroshi deba, usuba and kamagata usuba, takobiki, hamokiri and mukimono. Each is forged from Hitachi Shirogami #2 (White 2) with iron cladding and a kasumi finish, and the maker's numbering system puts all of these under the KS code.

The KS covers double bevel knives too, and there the construction changes: our product data describes the double bevel line of the KS series as a monosteel construction, so the wa-gyuto, the petty and the sujihiki are solid White 2 without cladding. The wa-gyuto are super light and nimble and loved by professional chefs and enthusiasts, while the Hongasumi single bevels share the same steel and are noted for their ease of sharpening.

All of it is reactive carbon steel, so the family needs wiping and drying during service. The handles are ho wood with buffalo horn ferrules, apart from the K&S special 240 gyuto with its ebony heart-shaped handle.

Pros	Cons
Excellent performance Thin behind the edge Excellent fit and finish	High budget Prone to rust

Care Instruction

Don't cut hard things! Japanese knives are brittle so bone hacking is a NO NO!
Wash with neutral detergent after use, and wipe dry;
Please don't wash knife with dishwasher, it will damage the wood handle;
Be careful not to leave the knife close to a heat source for a long time;
It is a lot more dangerous to cut with a blunt knife than a sharp knife!
It is best to sharpen a Japanese knife regularly on a waterstone.
Oil the (carbon) knife if storing for an extended period of time to prevent rust.

Masamoto Sohonten

The Crowned King of Kanto Region

Masamoto Sohonten, the undisputed king of Japanese kitchen knives, has arrived at Knives and Stones. Started by Minosuke Matsuzawa in 1866, succeed by Kichizo Hirano in 1891 and registered its trademark in 1903, Masamoto Sohonten is now under the management of the 6th generation Masamoto: Masahiro Hirano. With more than 150 years of history, Masamoto Sohonten is recognised by almost every Japanese chef as the best kitchen knife brand in Japan, and it is often considered as the go-to tool for professionals.

“The hallmark of professionalism in single bevel knives, excellent in quality and consistency and once the dominating knife brand in the entire Kanto region.”

Est. 1866 | 慶応2年

Known for Excellently built traditional single bevel knives and KS series Gyuto

Website masamoto-sohonten.co.jp Read more about Masamoto Sohonten

Knife details

Profile

Sujihiki

Slicer

The Sujihiki, also known as Sujibiki, stands out as a Japanese slicing knife, characterized by a thinner and sharper edge than those found in Western kitchens. Its long blade is ideally crafted for the artful, thin carving of proteins and for slicing terrines and patés with finesse. Blade lengths span from 210mm to 300mm (8.3 to 12 inches), with 240mm and 270mm being particularly favored for their balanced cutting length and agility. When used for their intended purpose Sujihiki has a significant advantage: the slimmer blade will have less surface contact with the soft protein, and lead to reduced frictions during the cut compare to Gyuto as this type of food would "grip" the blade from pushing forward. In addition, the generally flat profile of Sujihiki is a perfect match for slicing tasks, when paired with a carbon steel core, they are some of the best tools for portioning large piece of meat, they can also act as the perfect melon cutter occationaly.

Compare with

White 2 / Shirogami #2

—

1.1% 0.8% 0.6% 0.3% 0

C — Carbon Mn — Manganese Si — Silicon P — Phosphorus S — Sulfur

Typical values from third-party sources.

Hardness 60–64 HRC

555759616365+

Steel

White 2 / Shirogami #2

Manufacturer
- Hitachi Special Steel, Japan
Nature Carbon
Hardness60–64 HRC

White Steel No.2, also known as Shirogami #2 or White Paper #2, is long regarded as the go-to choice for crafting high-grade Japanese kitchen knives. This steel is celebrated for its capacity to be fashioned into knives that exhibit a sharp cutting edge, moderate tenacity, and long-lasting sharpness, alongside being notably easy to sharpen. While it possesses a slightly lower carbon content (C: 1%) compared to White Steel No.1 (C: 1.3%), it still requires a high level of craftsmanship to manipulate effectively. The expertise of a skilled blacksmith is crucial in transforming this material into a premium quality kitchen knife. Despite its excellent qualities, White Steel No.2 is known to be very reactive; hence, knives made from this steel demand meticulous care, including immediate wiping and drying after use, to prevent corrosion.

Sanjo and Sakai are known to widely utilise Shirogami #2 in their mainstream kitchen knives.

Construction

Nimai - Soft Iron Clad

Nimai(Two Piece) is the Japan's traditional approach to the kitchen knife making, this construction method is typically found on knives with native Japanese origins like Yanagiba, Deba and Usuba. When constructing a Nimai knife, a piece of soft cladding metal will be placed onto a core steel, the two pieces of metal are then forgewelded and shaped into the knife.

The Nimai knives are usually sharpened in single-bevel fashion, with hardened core steel exposed on the flat/hollow-ground side and soft cladding warping over the other side and over the spin. The soft cladding offers support for the harder yet more brittle core steel so the knive can have a thin, sharp edge while have some overall strength. Since the single bevel Japanese knives usually don't have a secondary bevel, the combination of soft cladding and hollow-grind have made the sharpening process easier than Monosteel and Honyaki knives.

If Nimai construction represents the classic Japanese knifemaking, then the Nimai with carbon steel core and soft iron cladding is the essence of this classical approach. Although the entire blade will be prone to rusting, the ease of sharpening have made these blades the first choice for chefs who work in traditional Japanese restaurants, where the constant wiping and routine shrpening offset the downsides. If you are interested in experiencing traditional Japanese kitchen knife ownership and willing to spend time take care of your knife, a Nimai Soft Iron Clad knife will deliver that experience with hundreds of years of history behind it.

Finish

Kasumi

A Kasumi finish refers to a traditional Japanese blade-finishing technique used on knives, particularly those made from a combination of soft iron and harder steel. The term "Kasumi" means "mist" in Japanese, aptly describing the hazy, matte appearance achieved on the blade's bevel where the two metals meet. This effect is not only aesthetic but also showcases the craftsmanship involved in blending these materials, highlighting the skill in creating a knife that is both beautiful and functional.

Handle

D Shaped Ho Wood Black Ferrule

Profile D Shape WA
Material
- Ho Wood
- Black Buffalo Horn

A D-shaped WA handle in ho wood with a black buffalo horn ferrule. In the example shown, the wood is pale. The D-shaped cross-section is asymmetric; check the individual knife’s handedness before ordering. This style appears on some Masamoto Sohonten gyutos in the K&S catalogue.

Frequently asked questions

Shirogami 1 vs shirogami 2 — what is the difference?

Shirogami 1 (White 1) has a higher carbon content than Shirogami 2 (White 2), roughly 1.3% vs 1.1%, making it the purer carbon steel and the one some craftsmen still regard as the best, though in practice the two have become harder to distinguish as modern metallurgy has made both quite pure.

White 2 (Shirogami #2) has about 1.1% carbon and a hardness range of 60-64 HRC; White 1 sits around 1.3% carbon. That 0.2% difference is the core spec gap. More carbon generally means you can push hardness higher and hold a keener edge, but it also makes the steel more brittle and less forgiving. White 2 trades a bit of that potential peak sharpness for slightly better toughness and ease of sharpening.

Shirogami 1 carries a certain prestige. Sukenari's Nobuo Hanaki once told me directly that they only use White 1 for their mizu-honyaki because it is the pure form of carbon steel, it carries that halo. Among traditional smiths, White 1 is still spoken of as the benchmark. That said, in recent years the improvement in metallurgical manufacturing has narrowed the real-world gap. The rumor is that both grades are now so pure that separating them in practice is no longer straightforward. I've also heard that Hitachi has stopped producing White 1, though I can't confirm that.

Reviewed by K&S Staff · Last updated 31 July 2026

Masamoto Sohonten Hongasumi White 2 Sujihiki 270mm KS4327

Availability

Detailed Specifications

Masamoto Sohonten

Knife details

Sujihiki

White 2 / Shirogami #2 Element Composition

White 2 / Shirogami #2

Nimai - Soft Iron Clad

Kasumi

D Shaped Ho Wood Black Ferrule

Frequently asked questions

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Masamoto Sohonten Hongasumi White 2 Sujihiki 270mm KS4327

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