Masamoto KK

The KK is Masamoto Sohonten's entry into traditional single bevel knives, sitting at the accessible end of the family. Each blade pairs a Hitachi White 2 (Shirogami) core with soft iron cladding in nimai construction, finished in kasumi (霞), the misty two-tone look of the classic Japanese kitchen blade. White steel has only carbon added, which is what lets it take an extremely keen edge while staying very easy to sharpen, and that patience on the stones is worth a lot to anyone learning single bevel work.

Being carbon steel under an iron cladding, these knives patina quickly and need wiping dry after use, but that is the whole bill of ownership at this level. The lineup covers deba from 150 to 210 mm, yanagiba from 240 to 300 mm, a takobiki, and usuba in 180 and 210 mm, all on wa handles of ho wood with buffalo horn ferrules.