# Review: Kawamura/Y. Tanaka Gyuto



## ModRQC (Dec 12, 2020)

*FOREWORD*

*Possibly the most important aspect of this knife*’*s review, to me, is the nebulous circumstances of its making.* 

And while I managed to gather and assemble parts of the puzzle, I am sorry to say that my information is not complete: *I am therefore counting on the more knowledgeable members to add to it, if they will*.

According to the vendor, *this knife is sold by H&K, a reseller based in Hong Kong, and is a collaboration of Kawamura Hamono with Yoshikazu Tanaka.* The handle in this case is a third party from Real Sharp in USA and isn’t important to this discussion.






Box says nothing but generics, and Kanji on the left side of the blade is indicative only of the steel used for the core. Hence the most important information we can get on the knife from the package itself is the box sticker, here glued to the carton sheath protecting the blade, and indeed attributing the work to Kawamura, and confirming steel, finish and length. *The “strange thing” here being that Kawamura Hamono owns, and has started, Sakai Kikumori, but still this line seemingly doesn’t have anything to do with Kikumori.* *Its availability in shops that tend to carry some lines of Kikumori reinforces a theory I have – someone asked for something, Kikumori are the ones that made it happen in the end somehow, but dissociated themselves from it, relegating the credit to its mother shop.*

My source (not that I don’t want to name and thank him, I do, but he may not wish for me to blab in his name, so…) was kind enough to do some research, and came back to me saying that he couldn’t find much about this knife but that it was also sold by Australian vendors, and also iterated in Blue #1. Indeed, KNS has the Sentan Blue #1 – house line – that is the same, with “longer and taller than usual Sakai” specs where their 240mm is exactly in line, length and tall wise, with this “260mm” here. *According to my source, nobody in Japan knows much about it, and he couldn’t confirm the reseller being H&K, or if more than one reseller could be carrying it.*

H&K’s website is possibly the most desolating thing I ever saw: H＆K Co.,Ltd.…and you won’t find any Tanaka there. A nugget of info was obtained searching KKF, where one thread, and one thread only, made mention of H&K and special lines that were offered mostly through IG: Shoichi Hashimoto value

*Last bit of info, and I really have to rely on the vendor here because I couldn’t verify it otherwise, is that the sharpener is Nomura-San. Some research led me to believe that the “right” Nomura designated there would have to be Shotaro Nomura.

Any disputing of the info above, or the resume in the spec grid below, any additional information, please feel free and reply!* What will sound right or gather general acceptance I will edit to this post if I still can.


----------



## ModRQC (Dec 12, 2020)

Now on with the review, and I think that, not counting the foreword, this might stand to be my shortest and sweetest: I’m losing faith in my actual formula for reviewing, thinking that it could become more essential and pointed still, and that the least I get to have to say anything, the better it would tend to prove the reviewing actually is. Formula stays the same for now, if only because pics were taken and edited according to my usual… but watch me glide through it. New spec grid – I have a basic one, a complete one, and an advanced one – here introducing the advanced one.


*MAKER*​*Kawamura*​*TYPE & LENGTH*​*Gyuto 260mm*​*FINISH & STEEL*​*Damascus Shirogami #1*​*WEIGHT / BALANCE*​*232g / +35*​*HANDLE MATERIAL*​*Maple burl & Spalted maple*​​​*BLADESMITH*​*Yoshikazu Tanaka (Sakai, Japan)*​*SHARPENER*​*Shotaro Nomura (Sakai, Japan)*​*RESELLER*​*H&K (Hong Kong, China)*​​​TOTAL LENGTH​395​BLADE LENGTH​259​EDGE LENGTH​*243*​​​HEIGHT AT HEEL​*54*​HEIGHT AT MID BLADE​46​HEIGHT 35mm TO TIP​24​​​*SPINE THICKNESS*​(3.9 out of handle)HEEL​*3.6*​MID BLADE​2.7​35mm TO TIP​2.2​10mm TO TIP​*0.8*​​​*THICKNESS OVER THE EDGE*​@ 10/5/1mm (Choil = False*)HEEL + 10mm​1.3 / 0.7 / 0.1​MID BLADE​1.0 / 0.5 / 0.1​35mm TO TIP​0.9 / 0.5 / 0.1​TIP**​0.9 / 0.5 / 0.1​
** True is in line with thickness at Heel +10mm. False is significantly different - see choil shot.*
_*** Nearest to tip location where there's still 10mm perpendicular from the edge under the spine.*_

This looked way better in Excel, but hey, some dumbing down editing to fit here later, it's an advanced spec grid alright.

*FIT & FINISH: 5.5/6

Handle: 1.5/2*

The aspect I’m the most conflicted with my formula is actually this: the handle. And the present sampling proves adequate to underline why.






I’m not one for fancy handles: for one thing, here the fitting is more or less aptly done, and the fine finishing of the handle is somehow lacking, with for example overbrightly polished spots amongst coarser overall finished spalted maple accents. Oh it’s beautiful alright, and beautifully sculpted too, but if going the lengths, why not insuring everything is perfect. Am I paying more for this? Of course I am. Was I ever given a choice? Are these sold as blanks only to vendors? So much parameters to acknowledge for what amounts to an indirect matter of importance.

Really a handle is mostly part of the balance of the knife – as long as there is one, and some members here claim to have worked with a blank for a while with no real issue but, surely, some discomfort and weirdness to it. Also, with Wa, it could be swapped to anything, which it is with most big vendors that try and personalize some offerings they have. So… two points? Possibly warranted with a Yo handle, not so much with a Wa…

Speaking of balance and ergonomics, this one knife here feels just about perfect.

*Blade: 2/2*






Perfectly forged and cut to shape, perfectly crowned choil and spine.

*Finish: 2/2 *

Damascus, who cares? This one feels like Nashiji under the fingers, or when washing and drying it. As far as Damascus goes this is how I like it – subdued and unremarkable.






One with glamorous lighting, one typical lighting conditions, specs of lint and dust and what else. Iron clad over White #1, but high quality that, from my experience with another Tanaka, tends to patina just as beautifully as the core. ‘Nuff said.

But of course the big question that my reviews have overlooked until now – and not that I wasn’t aware of it:

Do I really want to have a blade with such a nice finish where, even before cutting, I knew that it would do it good to smooth that shinogi line quite some?

*EXPERIENCE: 3.5/4

Box: 0.5/1*






Typical. A bit underwhelming for the price – but should price reflect that it would lose the whole point whereas usually yielding the half one? Should box, notwithstanding my desire to assess for the security of the beloved goodies during transits and storage, be part of a knife review but for a comment in passing?

Is that one picture out of ten that is always bound to be useless? Oh yes!

*Performance: 3/3 *

Very sharp OOTB, and very thin where it counts.









Perfect wide bevels. Measured a shy 21mm at heel, becoming almost 22mm at the tip.






Harsh shinogi transition is felt in taller/denser produce. Then again, sheer weight and cut-ability makes it go through all the same. With this knife choil was indicated as false in the spec grid: indeed, right at the heel it is 0.3mm thick at 1mm from the edge, against 0.1mm at 10mm from the heel.






Taller Tanaka… has an uglier overall profile, but edge profile and finer tip that are “typical” with (many a) Tanaka I like very much. I also like tall knives and this one is my preferred to date – although not a far cry beyond what satisfaction my Matsubara has been giving me for half a year, but the latter is still a lightweight. Beautiful spinal taper, beefy heel to consistent mid-blade to satisfyingly thin tip.


*Overall Score: 9/10




*


----------



## ModRQC (Dec 12, 2020)

*Personal take: *…and no one is the wiser from this review.

You might wonder: why did I purchase a Damascus I didn’t want, and a handle I didn’t care for much? Am I actually dissatisfied with the knife, as the tone of this review seems to imply? Did I purchase it only for the “mystery” of its conception? To flash? Because it was available?

I am dissatisfied with my formula, yes that’s what transpires here mostly.

I’ve chosen this knife because I love Tanaka’s profile at the edge, I love forward balanced knives in a way 210mm units cannot comply with, and I wanted a workhorse kind of knife. This is me starting to realize I’ve had enough of most 210mm – I’m now inclined to longer blades.

This one also promised to be beefier at the spine than the “usual” Tanakas, promised to be a full 240mm, had the perfect height for my tastes, and added bonus came with the perfect balance point, which is what makes me ok with the fancy handle I don’t need. Damascus, handle – those were a question of availability vs price. In the end I could buy in Canada once more, and get what I wanted for a very competitive price when comparing the overall market. I did with what I knew I was paying for that I didn’t want – either that perfectly plain version of this knife wasn’t readily available, either its price was almost the same, and if almost the same, then I don’t see no reason why not to buy locally and have added fanciness.

Ah yes: did I ever say that I love White steel around this forum? And if my Mabs was sold to be replaced by an eventual Denka, from whom did I wanted to get my properly HT’ed White #1 steel then? Yeah, that’s right.


----------



## damiano (Dec 13, 2020)

Thanks for the detailed write up! I’ve been considering getting a Y Tanaka, the one from KnS. In your view, what is so special about his knives, and grinds?


----------



## JoBone (Dec 13, 2020)

In Sakai, there is a greater distinction of the blacksmiths and sharpeners than others regions, like Niigata. 

Similar Konosuke and Hitohira, Kawamura works with the various craftsman for the production of knives. One of the blacksmiths that they work with is Y Tanaka. As these are intentionally sold as OEM, the company is not promoted.


----------



## ModRQC (Dec 13, 2020)

JoBone said:


> In Sakai, there is a greater distinction of the blacksmiths and sharpeners than others regions, like Niigata.
> 
> Similar Konosuke and Hitohira, Kawamura works with the various craftsman for the production of knives. One of the blacksmiths that they work with is Y Tanaka. As these are intentionally sold as OEM, the company is not promoted.



Thanks!


----------



## ModRQC (Dec 14, 2020)

Wahnamhong said:


> Thanks for the detailed write up! I’ve been considering getting a Y Tanaka, the one from KnS. In your view, what is so special about his knives, and grinds?



Not so special. I personally like the profile as it usually is - look at this comparison pic of a Takada No Hamono Y. Tanaka 210mm, which is neither a taller or longer than usual Tanaka, with this one, and you can see that edge profile stands about true, counting with 50mm longer blade obviously.






Grinds are not his, though, you have to keep this in mind, there's no unity to be sought but within a very same grinder's (hence, same line of many available) work. Here is the Takada which is all convexity:





... And here the Kawamura which is a wide bevels.






And as such there are no means of direct comparison of these two as to how they cut. There is unity however in how profile works for you - or doesn't - despite the different lengths.

Edit: obviously, I like that I know Tanaka HTs right. I'm not bringing his work to any kind of cult, I just like the profile, and the insurance you get amongst the better HT you can get all makers confounded. Having the certitude that profile worked for me, and that HT was good, sure helped deciding to spend as much dough on a single knife. I felt a much higher notion of risk buying a Mabs for about 200$ less.


----------



## tostadas (Dec 14, 2020)

I dig the new format with all of the measurements on one table! Photos and discussion are also great, as usual.


----------



## ModRQC (Dec 14, 2020)

tostadas said:


> I dig the new format with all of the measurements on one table! Photos and discussion are also great, as usual.



Thanks man, I fully appreciate your support and count myself lucky to have it. See ya around!


----------



## zizirex (Dec 19, 2020)

Nice, I wonder why Sakai Kikumori doesn't promote this knife that often.


----------

