Masamoto Sohonten | SKU: MASA_KS3121KT_KGY210_BLK

Masamoto Sohonten KS K-tip Gyuto 210 mm KS3121KT with Saya

$14,998.00 $17,630.00

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.

St Peters (Online/Showroom) —
2 Bishop St Unit 2 St Peters NSW 2044
+61 2 8234 8818
Crows Nest (Storefront) —
107 West St, Crows Nest NSW 2065
Pickup only

Detailed Specifications

Line	Masamoto KS Series
Profile	K-tip Gyuto / Chefs Knife
Bevel Type	Double Bevel
Weight	142 g \| 5.0 oz
Edge Length	217 mm \| 8 35/64″
Heel Height	45 mm \| 1 49/64″
Width @ Heel	2.2 mm \| 3/32″
Width @ Mid	2.2 mm \| 3/32″
Width @ 1cm from Tip	1.0 mm \| 3/64″
Steel	White 2 / Shirogami #2 \| Carbon
Blade Construction	Monosteel
Hardness (HRC)	60 - 64
Surface Finish	Migaki
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 Series by Masamoto Sohonten is a premium line of traditional Japanese knives, highly regarded by professional chefs and knife enthusiasts. Crafted from Shirogami #2 (White Steel No.2), these knives offer exceptional sharpness, edge retention, and ease of sharpening. Each blade is meticulously hand-forged and honed, reflecting Masamoto’s 150+ years of craftsmanship. The KS Series features a wa-gyuto (Japanese-style chef's knife) with a minimalistic, elegant design, a lightweight feel, and a well-balanced construction. Renowned for its razor-sharp edge and superior cutting performance, the KS Series embodies the pinnacle of Japanese knife-making artistry and tradition.

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

Profile

K-tip Gyuto

Chefs Knife

The K-tip Gyuto — known in Japanese as kiritsuke gyuto (切付牛刀) — is a double-bevelled chef's knife that pairs the all-purpose body of a standard gyuto with a kiritsuke-style tip: an angled, clipped "k-tip" point in place of the gyuto's curved belly. Combined with a flatter edge profile, this gives two advantages. The sharply defined tip excels at precise work — scoring, detailing and picking — while the flatter edge is optimised for clean push-cutting and long slicing strokes. It remains a versatile general-purpose knife, but rewards a chef who works with deliberate, tip-led precision.

A note on naming: the K-tip (or "Kiritsuke") Gyuto is a double-bevelled knife and should not be confused with the traditional Kiritsuke (切付け) — a single-bevelled knife that is a genuinely different tool. Many retailers list the two interchangeably; at Knives and Stones we keep them distinct so you know exactly what you're buying.

Compare with

White 2 / Shirogami #2

—

1.1% 0.8% 0.6% 0.3% 0

1.1%

0.25%

0.15%

0.025%

0.004%

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

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

Monosteel

A "monosteel" construction in the context of Japanese kitchen knives refers to knives that are made from a single type of steel. Unlike traditional Japanese knives that might use a layered steel construction (like "san mai," which sandwiches a hard core steel between softer steel layers), monosteel knives are crafted from a single piece of steel throughout the blade. This type of construction can offer a balance of durability, ease of sharpening, and maintenance.

Monosteel knives are appreciated for their uniformity in material properties across the blade, providing a consistent cutting experience. This also means the characteristics of the steel will be applied to the whole blade, if a monosteel blade is made of carbon steel, the entire surface of the blade will require maintenance to prevent rust and discolouration. This too, applies to the hardness, an uniformly hardened blade can be difficult to manufacture, and can be quite difficult for uers to perform thinning.

It should be noted that monosteel knives are usually not forged, as the forged knives, along with differential heat treatment line is called Honyaki.

Finish

Migaki

"Migaki" means "polished" or "shined" in Japanese, The term "Migaki finish" in the context of Japanese kitchen knives indeed does not exclusively refer to a mirror polish but encompasses a broader range of polished finishes that can vary from semi-gloss to a more refined, subtle sheen, rather than a highly reflective surface. The primary goal of a Migaki finish is to enhance the knife's functionality and aesthetic appeal, focusing on a smooth finish that improves resistance to corrosion and minimizes drag during cutting, rather than achieving a purely mirror-like appearance.

Handle

D Shaped Ho Wood Black Ferrule

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

A classic handle that Masamoto Sohonten and many Tokyo knifemakers loves to use. Light, grips well and highly functional. The problem is because of its directional nature, it has to be pre-installed with right or left hand operation in mind.

Frequently asked questions

Is a K-tip Gyuto the same as a traditional Kiritsuke?

Not quite - and it is the single most common point of confusion when people shop for a kiritsuke. The two knives share the same striking angled, reverse-tanto tip, but underneath that tip they are very different tools.

A K-tip gyuto is a double-bevel knife: it is ground on both sides like any Western-style chef's knife, so it is ambidextrous, forgiving to use, and sharpened exactly the way you would sharpen a normal gyuto. You get the dramatic kiritsuke look with the everyday usability of an all-purpose chef's knife.

A traditional kiritsuke - including the kiritsuke-yanagiba (slicer) and kiritsuke-gyuto shapes - is a single-bevel knife, ground on one side only. It is historically a master chef's knife: it takes real practice to use well, is set up for right-handed users by default, and needs single-bevel sharpening technique to maintain.

So if you want the kiritsuke silhouette with no learning curve, choose a K-tip gyuto. If you specifically want the traditional single-bevel discipline - and the precision it allows on fish and vegetables - choose a true kiritsuke. At Knives and Stones we stock both, and each product page tells you which construction you are looking at.

✓ Verified by Knives and Stones · James Zhang · Reviewed 29 May 2026

	Measurements
Weight	136g
Total Length	363 mm
Tip to Heel Length	217 mm
Blade Height at Heel	45.4 mm
Width of Spine Above Heel	2.7 mm
Width of Spine at Middle of Blade	2.1 mm
Width of Spine at about 1cm From the Tip	0.6 mm
Steel	Hitachi White 2
Hardness	61
Handle Design	Ho-wood

Masamoto Sohonten KS K-tip Gyuto 210 mm KS3121KT with Saya

Availability

Detailed Specifications

Masamoto Sohonten

K-tip Gyuto

White 2 / Shirogami #2 Element Composition

White 2 / Shirogami #2

Monosteel

Migaki

D Shaped Ho Wood Black Ferrule

Frequently asked questions

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Masamoto Sohonten KS K-tip Gyuto 210 mm KS3121KT with Saya

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