# Konosuke KAIJU, A Knife-Enthusiast's review



## Omega (Oct 4, 2020)

So lets start things off transparently; I’m the same guy that wrote the Konosuke Fujiyama History post. I’m a huge Konosuke fan. They are far from the only maker I’ve collected, but they for sure are my favorite. Additionally, I paid for this knife- it was not provided free, Nor in exchange for a review. I visited Konosuke last year in October and had a chance to see some of the prototypes; in June of this year, they asked if I'd be interested in seeing their release candidate for KAIJU, and I said yes. I’ve had this knife in my possession for a couple months now, and this review and everything contained therein are my honest opinions on it. Also, I know brevity isn’t my strength. So if you’d like a TL;DR, I’ll post a summary at the end after pictures.

The Konosuke Kaiju is a very interesting knife. In one of their press releases, Konosuke listed that this knife was over three years in the making, and, funny enough, I can go back to an email I wrote to Kosuke in 2017 about this very subject. At the time, Konosuke was looking for ideas to help motivate Morihiro, and hadn’t quite found Miyojin (the FM sharpener). It was around here that Kosuke actually sent out an email directly to customers that had expressed interest in their Vintage Carbon line. In this email he talked about wanting ideas from customers for “unique ideas in geometry and sharpening”, and later stated “From the collective ideas and collaboration we may produce a new line of knives”.

As a fan, this was super exciting- thinking I had a chance to directly influence a knife being made. I was also coming fresh from a high of having tried a few workhorse-style knives, and thought it would be cool to see something in that vein coming from Konosuke. So I sent an email back detailing two different knives: one, a workhorse that was 4.5mm at the spine, 54+ tall, and true 240 on edge; and the other a thinner, laser-y Funayuki profile with a special finish.

Kosuke emailed me back and said thank you for the proposals, that they are considering their options; but also that a knife similar to what I had described had already been in the early stages of development. [so, as much as I’d like to take credit for helping this knife come to be, I can’t]

Its hard to believe that that email exchange was three years ago. But, after all this time, the knife is finally a reality.

On the surface, this knife has a lot of similarities to the FM Fujiyama.
They’re both forged by Tanaka.
They’re both sharpened by Myojin.
They’re both hitachi steel clad in soft iron.
They have similar looking shaping to the spine and choil.
Their choil-shots even look very similar.
…but with two months of board time, and being able to A – B the Kaiju and the four FM Fujiyama I have, I can say there is more difference than you might think.

Konosuke FM Blue Super 240





Konosuke KAIJU B2 240





For one, the thicker stock that was used for the Kaiju really makes the blade feel different both in hand, and on the board. I’ve always enjoyed the FM series- the cutting performance and Tanaka’s high hardness just feels really good to cut with. Especially as I enjoy the HD2 line and the Masamoto KS, I’ve always thought the FMs were firmly a mid-weight knife. But after using the Kaiju, the FMs feel almost.. dainty.

Comparing weights isn’t exactly apples-to-apples, as my 240 FM and Kaiju have different handles, but boy do they feel different. My FMs come in around 180 grams, while the Kaiju sits at 241. Interestingly, I have to compare the Kaiju to 270 Fujiyamas before the weights get close to each other! Of the now almost 40 Fujiyama gyuto I own, only 1 is heavier than the Kaiju, and it’s a 270 Damascus FM with the old-style ebony handle.

…and its only heavier by 5 grams.


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## Omega (Oct 4, 2020)

From a grind perspective, the Kaiju is kind of crazy. One of the words of wisdom that I used to see thrown around on this forum a lot is that the choil shot doesn’t tell the full story. And.. I never disagreed with this.. but I also never ran across a knife that I felt REALLY offered a different cutting experience than what I was seeing from the choil.


For me, the Kaiju is the first exception to this.

On the surface, as I stated before, it looks similar to the FM Fujiyama. But the feel is very different. The hamaguri on the FM’s feels a little more pronounced just after the halfway point in the blade. You can feel the transition more obviously. For the Kaiju, that shaping is much more refined and subtle. Additionally, something that you can’t see from the choil shot is the grind of the distal half of the blade. The Kaiju- probably partly because its 2-3mm taller -has more section of the knife that is thinner. So, in a weird way, despite it being a full millimeter (+) thicker at the spine, it feels like it has better cutting performance.

The tip especially is a labor of love. It reminds me of the first time I cut with a Kiyoshi Kato blade- holding the knife (it was my first non-Sakai knife) I remember thinking.. why are people excited by a knife like this? How could is possible cut well.

…and then the extreme distal taper let it laser through anything.

In a lot of ways, that’s the Kaiju tip for me- very thin. Very agile. Whether or not horizontal cuts are even a necessary cutting skill is a different discussion. But whipping this thing through a shallot was exciting.

Back at the heel, you have the full weight of the knife, and thickness of the grind to give some power for chopping. I don’t racket-grip, but I feel like if you did, you could do some serious damage with this thing if you wanted to.

I’ve never been that concerned about food separation- but I feel like of all Konosuke’s options, the Kaiju is the best at this; its not going to be like a Shigefusa though.

The knife does have a decent amount of belly- I’d say maybe half the blade is flat, and then the other half sweeps gently to the tip. It should work well for rocking cutters.

In what has become typical for Konosuke, the Kaiju comes with a killer edge out of the box; the natural stone microbevel has lasted months for me with only stropping on leather and an Arashiyama 6k.

As far as comfort goes, I really have to hand it to Konosuke- the chamfered spine is actually cut a little deeper, and at a slightly steeper angle. It really reminds me more of Morihiro’s spine than what we see on the FMs. And beyond that, they actually upped the refinement on the polish on these bevels, with the diagonal chamfers being mirror polished. All in all, this has felt very comfortable in my hands. But, as a reminder, I’m not a pro standing on a line for 8+ hours a day.. so your mileage may vary.


As was stated in the Konosuke press releases, the Kaiju actually undergoes an entire second sharpening and surface-conditioning process after coming from Myojin. This serves a dual purpose: one, to be able to guarantee the refinement of grind; and two, to ensure no low spots across the entire length of the blade. This sets Konosuke up to put on an incredible natural stone polish, but it also has the added benefit of making the knife much easier to work on for the end-user.

Konosuke KAIJU polish
















Because the knife has been conditioned and worked on all the way down to the edge, all of the heavy lifting for sharpening and thinning has already been done for you. Even with other hamaguri style blades- even something like a White 2 laser from Ashi Hamono -when it comes time to sharpen, you can find yourself needing to drop down to 400 grit, or even 220 grit to remove steel, followed by removing all the low spots, before you can really get on with a full sharpening.

With the Kaiju, that’s already been done. You don’t have to prep. You don’t have to flatten. You can just start sharpening; and you can start at finishing-stone level.

All the work on the blade’s surfaces also means- out of the box -you can put it directly on your favorite natural stone and go straight to work. I myself am a fledgling polisher at best. But some of the talent on this forum? This knife should serve as a perfect play thing for you.


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## Omega (Oct 4, 2020)

I feel like I should take a second to really talk about how incredible it is that Konosuke does this. Yes, there are other knife makers that use natural stones on their knives. But very few of them are completely polishing a hamaguri-style blade; many of them are just finishing a wide bevel knife, which is a wildly different endeavor from what the Kaiju offers. Additionally, in my experience and in talking with a few others that have worked with them, none of these other knives are ‘flat’, or devoid of low spots.


Mazaki. Jiro. Even Shigefusa. If you work on their knives, you’ll find low spots that were covered up by synthetics, or muddy stones.

And To Be Clear! I am not saying this to **** on those makers. I think Morihiro is a freak talent- and His work, single bevel or double bevel, has low spots. The time and technique required to remove all the low spots from a knife is incredible. I remember seeing a post from Jon Klip talking about being four hours into flattening the bevel on a honyaki, and still being one his lowest grit stone.

It just isn’t feasible for most makers to take this time to make it happen. Its why you see, for example, all the knives from Hitohira or Tsubaya finished with a chemical etch, or are sandblasted, or with uwahiki.

For most users, having this level of refinement isn’t a requirement.

But I feel like Konosuke deserves credit for developing a system that makes such a thing possible on a knife line they are intending as a standard release. Considering that polishing on Nihonto costs $1000-$2000 per inch, (and as high as $4000 in rare cases), the whole package of Kaiju coming in around $600 feels like a good value, especially when you consider that surface prep and polish also provides functional value to the customer as well.



Is the Kaiju really a Workhorse?

I can see that being a point of contention for people. It has been a topic of discussion many times on the forums- what does it take for a knife to qualify as a workhorse.
Does it have to be a certain weight?
Does it have to be a certain height and length?
Does it have to have a certain thickness?
Is it defined by the style of grind?
Or are dimensions not a part of the equation; is it defined purely by how functional the knife is at being able to handle all the tasks of a pro kitchen?
Everyone has their own definition for this, so I’ll weigh in with mine.


I’ve felt like the workhorse denomination was most useful in describing knives relative to each other, both in dimensions, grind, and feel. A workhorse was thicker, sturdier, heavier, and had enough wear resistance to whether a full day of cutting.

Spine thickness 2.5mm and below? Laser
2.6mm – 4mm? Mid weight
4mm+? Workhorse

Admittedly, this hasn’t always held constant. Specifically Toyama and Watanabe- I have 240 gyuto from both, and they’re in the 3.5 - 3.8mm range. But I would still classify them as workhorse.

For me, especially when I compare the Kaiju to FM Fujiyama, it just feels so much heavier and more rigid. Even though the final edge geometry is so thin, I have no problem classifying it as a workhorse; partially because of its relative position in the stack of Konosuke offerings.

But if you don’t, I can understand that.



Compared to some other forum favorites?

The blade is thicker than Toyama and Watanabe at the spine, but both Toyama and Watanabe carry more thickness through the blade.. so they end up feeling a little stiffer.

Watanabe 240
222g, 55mm tall at heel, 3.58mm thick at spine above heel







Toyama 240
220g, 55.5mm tall at heel, 3.81mm thick at spine above heel






Compared to Shigefusa? Kind of the same as Toyama and Watanabe (as in, Shigefusa is carries more thickness through the grind of the blade). Though I feel like I have to throw out, the cutting performance is much, Much better with Kaiju vs Shigefusa.

Shigefusa Kasumi 240 (wa)
226g, 51mm tall, 4.02mm thick at spine above heel







Compared to other Konosuke offerings, like the Nihei SLD, and the SKD Tsuchime? No comparison- those both feel Much more like FM Fujiyama than Kaiju.


And lastly, compared to Kiyoshi Kato. I’ll admit, I have a soft spot for Kato. Aside from forum hype, I really, really enjoy the cutting experience I get from his knives.

Well… Some of them anyway..

His KU are by far his worst performers, and I’d contend the larger instances of his 240 WH can be hit or miss when they start entering that 6mm territory at the spine. But when you get a GOOD Kato? There’s just something so cool about it. That incredible rigidity. The insane distal taper. How powerful the heel feels, and yet how awesome the tip is. Really love him.

But a full breakdown of his lines is a subject for a different post.

Compared to Kaiju? Very different. Kaiju definitely feels smaller, and less rigid. I would contend that Kato’s tip is better as well.

Kiyoshi Kato 240 (standard)
241g (with ho wood handle!), 51mm tall at heel, 5.14mm thick at spine above heel


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## Omega (Oct 4, 2020)

So far, I’ve been very complimentary of the Kaiju. And that may have “what a shill!” warning bells firing in your brain. But I do have a few complaints / critiques of the blade that I hope are addressed in future iterations.


The first pertains to spine thickness and height. When I visited Japan in October of last year, I was able to go to a dinner with Kosuke and Morihiro, and I was able to see a couple of the prototypes that they were working on for Kaiju. And with these, I saw some above-the-heel spine measurements that were starting to dip beneath 4mm.

I would really like it if Konosuke would work to ensure all Kaiju were at minimum 4mm. But if they’re going to keep them at 55mm tall? I’d like to see that beefed up to 4.5mm(+). That extra thickness would give each blade even more of that heft, and…

Point two: …would let them keep more girth in the heel.

I really appreciate how hard they worked to engineer performance into the blade. But I feel like they dialed it just a touch thinner than they needed to. With a slightly thicker spine, I’d like for them to let the grind at the heel to be thicker.


Point three: The tip.

Now, I know, I said I really loved the tip. And I do! But I would still like to see a small change. While there absolutely is distal taper in this knife, it is much less pronounced at the spine, and instead happens around 10mm below. This means, even in the tip area, you have some increased thickness when you get up to the spine. See this picture below:

Konosuke KAIJU 240, silhouette of the Spine. notice the slight flaring where I'm circling? That's where the spine beveling terminates.






Konosuke KAIJU 240, my poor drawing skills trying to show the grind






The area between the red and yellow lines, that I crosshatched in green? If you’re trying to do horizontal cuts through especially deep product, you feel it. It’s not horrible or anything- it just hinders that feeling of whisping effortlessly through. For smaller things like shallots, or elephant garlic? No problem. One could even make the argument that this gives stability to the blade. But for my cutting preferences, I’d really love it if they introduced more distal taper in the spine, and moved the grind of the tip a little further back into the blade.

Now.. are these three points deal breakers? Not for me. I still really love this knife, and feel like it offers a different, though still exceptional cutting experience from other Konosuke offerings. I just felt like I should point it out, in case it might be a deal breaker for anyone else. (sorry Matus ;D )



Another small point I’d like to address before I wrap things up is the recent launch of “thicker” FM Fujiyama. Marc4pt0 made a good post pointing out that his B2 has incredibly similar specs to Kaiju release specs. When these FM were initially released, I had a sneaking suspicion these might be Kaiju prototypes that didn’t end up being to spec.

That is NOT to say they are flawed in some way- but that some aspect of them, in one way or another, wouldn’t have worked for them to proceed to Kaiju.

My guess? The grind-tuning that I’m seeing from the Kaiju, when compared side by side with standard FMs, looks very refined.. and then there’s the surface preparation. It could be that these thicker FM have the measurements of finished Kaiju.. but had they actually gone through that final sharpening process, they would have been thinner and shorter.

In talking with Konosuke, to some extent this was in fact the case.

Does that mean these FM were just discount Kaiju?

I would contend they aren’t- they didn’t have any of the 2nd sharpening pass that’s done within Konosuke that makes a lot of gentle modifications and refinements to the grind. Choil shots for sure look similar. But transitions and hamaguri won’t be as dialed in, and it won’t have all the low-spots ground out of it.

Still great knives though, and I wish I had been fast enough to grab one of them! I look forward to seeing the comparisons from owners lucky enough to get their hands on both the thicker FM and the Kaiju.

I know Kosuke had initially made a post saying that it was possible that “thicker FMs” might be released from time to time, but in my more recent conversations with them, it seems that is much less likely to be the case after the current batch (what hit CKTG a little while ago, and the few that were at Tosho)

But I guess only time will tell!


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## Omega (Oct 4, 2020)

Phew… Okay. So there you have it. Konosuke’s brand new ‘KAIJU’ has been unleashed.



For those of you skipping for the TL;DR?
$600. First batch all have ziricote handles with blond horn. Come with hazuya finger stones.

240mm edge length. 54.5mm height. 241 grams. 4mm at the spine above the heel.

Thicker, sturdier/more rigid, heavier, and taller than FM Fujiyama. Side by side, very noticeable. Feels different in hand. Nice flat spot, but also good amount of belly.

Great refinement in the hamaguri; excellent cutting experience. Really fun tip, though I’d like them to add more spine distal taper to make the tip section larger. Wish it was a little thicker at the heel.

The polish isn’t just aesthetic; the whole blade has been gone over, erasing low spots, making it easier to maintain, and also making it a polishing-enthusiasts best friend.



Lastly.. Remember those awesome video CGuarin used to do on YouTube; those cutting videos? Well, I couldn’t help myself: I made one as well with the Kaiju. I look forward to thorough trashing on the YouTube Knuckleheads thread 

Link: https://youtu.be/ozTVUnD8tuw 

I hope that covers everything. but as always, if you have questions, feel free to drop them here, or to toss me a PM. Happy hunting!


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## Gregmega (Oct 4, 2020)

I’m listening go on


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## Villanelle (Oct 4, 2020)

Man you put up good content


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## Gregmega (Oct 4, 2020)

Thank you, I work hard on my wit.


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## slickmamba (Oct 4, 2020)

Damn, I've been thinking about this knife the last few weeks. This does not help me save money


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## Omega (Oct 4, 2020)

Villanelle said:


> Man you put up good content



Thank you! 



slickmamba said:


> Damn, I've been thinking about this knife the last few weeks. This does not help me save money



Sorry man ;(


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## Gregmega (Oct 5, 2020)

So they released the FM extra thick in the same day as the kaiju, it appears to be the same specs damn near head on. So whoever bought that FM prolly got a pretty sweet ride for a darn sight less.


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## tchan001 (Oct 5, 2020)

Great content. Only makes the sharks hungrier for the next feeding.


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## Mariner (Oct 5, 2020)

Man, major kudos to you for all the effort in communicating your thoughts. I really appreciate the content here for two reasons:

It does a great job at helping to understand what this knife is like and whether it would be a good fit
The analysis gives new ideas for how to assess my own knives. Feeling excited to test some of your observations here at home!


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## bigthyme (Oct 5, 2020)

Wow. Amazing content! I’m gonna have to ask the wife for approximately $600 tonight.


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## Malcolm Johnson (Oct 5, 2020)

Yeah... this sounds like my kinda knife. Thanks for the very thorough write up


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## Ruso (Oct 5, 2020)

OP, You are a good writer. Its a real pleasure to read you.


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## TRPV4 (Oct 5, 2020)

really good review. thank you


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## JDC (Oct 5, 2020)

Another top review following your "Konosuke Fujiyama; a History." Thank you for quenching our curiosity. 

I'm wondering where's the balance point on the Kaiju?


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## zizirex (Oct 5, 2020)

Really nice review. Now I hesitate to pull the trigger for Yoshikane and kinda want to take a chance for the extra thick FM.


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## jonnachang (Oct 5, 2020)

Thanks again for all of your insight and knowledge and giving your opinions on beautiful Konosuke-Sakai knives!


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## ref (Oct 5, 2020)

Great review. Can I have it? Thanks!


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## AT5760 (Oct 5, 2020)

Excellent review. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and provide enough information that readers can develop enough of an impression to decide whether this knife may be for them.


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## RockyBasel (Oct 5, 2020)

Amazing write up. Really educational and your attention to the finer details, the things that differentiate was remarkable.

What a pleasure it must have been to visit Kosuke and have dinner - one for the ages

Thanks again and yes, sharks are indeed hungry


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## Jason183 (Oct 5, 2020)

I always curious about the difference edge geometry between Shigefusa, Kato, and Toyama, thank you for the review, learned a lot.


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## Omega (Oct 5, 2020)

JDC said:


> Another top review following your "Konosuke Fujiyama; a History." Thank you for quenching our curiosity.
> 
> I'm wondering where's the balance point on the Kaiju?



Thanks man! Sorry for the delay, I always forget to include balance point pictures when I take shots. 










Sorry for the sub-optimal balance-structure. 

The Konosuke ebony handles with blonde ferrule are some of their heaviest, and nicest. I'm PRETTY sure the ziricote are actually lighter, so the latest batch should actually be slightly more blade heavy. Personally, I'd really love to get a Kaiju with a Ho wood handle, or one of those octogonal-with-round-bottom-half burnt chestnut handles, as I enjoy an even more blade-heavy balance.


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## Omega (Oct 5, 2020)

Jason183 said:


> I always curious about the difference edge geometry between Shigefusa, Kato, and Toyama, thank you for the review, learned a lot.



So, for Toyama, things have seemed relatively consistent from blade to blade (and finish-to-finish) with respect to geometry. 

Shigefusa similarly; you see a difference in KU vs Kasumi and Kitaeji, but they're much closer. I'd say a couple of the Yo seem thinner at the edge.. but I don't have enough experience with them to know if that's a consistent difference, or if the samples I've see are outliers. Need Zweber to do a better study for us ;D

Kato has the most variance of the bunch, with respect to comparing lines. His:
Kurouchi
Work Horse Kurouchi
Standard
Work Horse kasumi
Westerns
Each have notable differences. Of course, some of this is by design- the differences that were requested by JNS for example. 

In general though, you'll see something similar to the choil shot I posted above- very thick at the spine, with (near consistent) taper all the way down to the edge. 

Not looking forward to the work involved.. but a more thorough Kato study is in the works.


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## Villanelle (Oct 5, 2020)

Omega said:


> Not looking forward to the work involved.. but a more thorough Kato study is in the works.


Well we’re all looking forward to it!


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## RockyBasel (Oct 5, 2020)

that’s why we like this forum


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## Matus (Oct 5, 2020)

Just awesome, thanks for all the details and behind the scenes.


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## Chang (Oct 5, 2020)

Great read. Thanks for taking the time to write it! 

brb, gonna post a wtb post for a kaiju and bump it daily 'till I have one


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## Geigs (Oct 7, 2020)

Wonderfully written. I was super tempted by the FM and am sold on these.


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## RockyBasel (Oct 7, 2020)

He had me at hello


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## toddnmd (Oct 7, 2020)

I will buy this.


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## LUWerner (Oct 7, 2020)

Someone was excited about their new knife... 
Congrats, it's a beauty! And great write-up too!


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## wombat (Oct 7, 2020)

Great review, thank you!


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## jacko9 (Oct 23, 2020)

Great review and the "behind the scenes" report is awesome. I am going to try to obtain one of these (like a lot of folks) and I even had one in my cart at ToGo before I hesitated and removed it. That was the second big regret I made in my knife purchasing (my first was letting go of a Kato Dama purchase at the Knife Merchant 6/11/17 where I made the purchase and they oversold and called me the next day and I agreed to wait until the next time) big mistake I thin that was the last batch Kato made in Damascus. 

I do have one question, CKTG and Tosho have B#2 and B#1 versions would you expect there to be much difference in these steels? I have two Fujiyama's in B#2 but so far nothing in B#1.

Thanks for the great write up.


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## Omega (Nov 9, 2020)

jacko9 said:


> Great review and the "behind the scenes" report is awesome. I am going to try to obtain one of these (like a lot of folks) and I even had one in my cart at ToGo before I hesitated and removed it. That was the second big regret I made in my knife purchasing (my first was letting go of a Kato Dama purchase at the Knife Merchant 6/11/17 where I made the purchase and they oversold and called me the next day and I agreed to wait until the next time) big mistake I thin that was the last batch Kato made in Damascus.
> 
> I do have one question, CKTG and Tosho have B#2 and B#1 versions would you expect there to be much difference in these steels? I have two Fujiyama's in B#2 but so far nothing in B#1.
> 
> Thanks for the great write up.



Hey man, sorry for the delay. 

As much as I would LIKE to say there's this really noticable difference between the B2 and B1, from personal experience across multiple Fujiyama, things that I've THOUGHT I felt as differences in steel were really just differences in geometry. A little difference on the stones.. but, at least for me, I don't sharpen regularly enough on Tanaka's work to really feel it. When I visited Konosuke last year and spoke with them about honbazuke on Fujiyama, they mentioned in Those circumstances- sharpening 20-30 blades of one steel, and then sharpening 20-30 blades in another -a person could better feel those differences between B1 and B2..
But again.. that's people that Really know sharpening, sharpening Many blades in a row.

B1 technically has a higher carbon content, and Tanaka takes it a point or two higher HRC than B2.. So you could theoretically find yourself with slightly better edge life in an otherwise-controlled environment. Some people have claimed that Tanaka's B1 has a different feel in hand as it connects with the cutting board- again, in relation to that, I've been more prone to chalking that up to geometry / edge thickness than the actual core steel. 

As far as specs go, all Kaiju- reguardless of core steel (B2, B1, or the rumored W1's that are supposed to be in production)- are going to be the same height / length / weight (within a tolerance- they're hand made of course).
If my knife collecting weren't on a tad of a pause at the moment, I'd love to do with Kaiju what I've done with Fujiyama, and compare one in each steel to compare head-to-head.. but afraid that probably isn't in the cards for a while.


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## Patinated (Sep 4, 2021)

This is so informative!! 
I believe they are now making Kaiju in both B1 and W1. If anyone has tried them both, I would really like to know how do they compare.


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## Corradobrit1 (Sep 4, 2021)

Patinated said:


> This is so informative!!
> I believe they are now making Kaiju in both B1 and W1. If anyone has tried them both, I would really like to know how do they compare.


Must be new around here. You'd be lucky to find one let alone two Kaiju in the same hands. I'm guessing a comparo of FM W#1 vs B#1 will yield most of the info you seek.


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## jacko9 (Sep 5, 2021)

Omega said:


> Hey man, sorry for the delay.
> 
> As much as I would LIKE to say there's this really noticable difference between the B2 and B1, from personal experience across multiple Fujiyama, things that I've THOUGHT I felt as differences in steel were really just differences in geometry. A little difference on the stones.. but, at least for me, I don't sharpen regularly enough on Tanaka's work to really feel it. When I visited Konosuke last year and spoke with them about honbazuke on Fujiyama, they mentioned in Those circumstances- sharpening 20-30 blades of one steel, and then sharpening 20-30 blades in another -a person could better feel those differences between B1 and B2..
> But again.. that's people that Really know sharpening, sharpening Many blades in a row.
> ...


Thanks for your observations and knowledge. I did manage to buy a Kaiju B#1 from Tosho but I don't have the touch or feel to tell one great blade from another. I'm just enjoying using these great crafted tools. I cut up some onion today for a smoked meatloaf I'm doing and used my 240mm Shigefusa and I feel like I won the lottery. 

I hear you on the purchasing pause, my wife gave me the look and said no more knives when I was staring down at a Jiro purchase! After 55 years being married I know when to back off!


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## Philly (Dec 16, 2022)

Wow that was awesome..!! I have bin read everything I can find . I have to say hands down bar none ..!! You win the top notch professional opinion..! I learned more from you than reading the last 10 sites. I I agree these knives are all different in many ways. What I am truly trying to find out is …??? 

HOW CAN I GET ONE ?? Omg smh ..!! 

It’s impossible. I’m a head chef 30 years. I would love to get my hands on the FM model..!!


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## jedy617 (Dec 16, 2022)

Philly said:


> Wow that was awesome..!! I have bin read everything I can find . I have to say hands down bar none ..!! You win the top notch professional opinion..! I learned more from you than reading the last 10 sites. I I agree these knives are all different in many ways. What I am truly trying to find out is …???
> 
> HOW CAN I GET ONE ?? Omg smh ..!!
> 
> It’s impossible. I’m a head chef 30 years. I would love to get my hands on the FM model..!!


Pay $2500+ on the secondary or more...or have a super desirable knife to trade for one. Otherwise, it's not that hard to find a regular FM in the $5-$700 range, just have to be patient.


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## Philly (Dec 16, 2022)

jedy617 said:


> Pay $2500+ on the secondary or more...or have a super desirable knife to trade for one. Otherwise, it's not that hard to find a regular FM in the $5-$700 range, just have to be patient.


Thank you for all your help and information. I would love to get one of these. When you say 2500+ .. I don’t understand?? I have found sites that carry the FM series. They are all out of stock . Chef’s knife to go has a few for the company but these are fire ..! In your expert opinion? Where is the best place to find one for sale ? I am new to this game but not new to knives . I have to say Y Tanaka and Toghishi are both my two favorite. Hands down the best ever.. if I had the $$$ I would buy everything that they both make ..So as a exspert and some one who really really knows knives like you do. 
WHATS THE BEST ONE FOR ME TO GET ? I’m a laser kind of knife guy and have to say Takamura is awesome for professional kitchen work and my go to knife one day to day work. Toghishi and Tanaka are both just absolutely awesome and drive everything soooo smooothly .. cutting performance is the very best I ever had. After reading all your wrote I am definitely going for the FM series. I love the 3 2 1 thickness or lower … although I never tried there knives that are thicker at the heel . 

I have a few Mr Itou knives and all I can say is I use them all at home .. they remind me of the 90’s thick steel like the Germany knives .. way way to thick for perfect perfection… they look good at that’s it ..!! Show pieces at best . 

Anyway I just want to get my hands on some really awesome Y Tanaka blades for work.. there are sooo many awesome options and I don’t really know what one I should get first ?? I love white 1 and blue 1 steel ..!! The stainless steel clad really helps in professional kitchen..!! Straight carbon steel turns everything gray after I cut it ..!! Tricks ???? 
I’M LISTENING LOUD AND CLEAR!!!


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## jedy617 (Dec 16, 2022)

Philly said:


> Thank you for all your help and information. I would love to get one of these. When you say 2500+ .. I don’t understand?? I have found sites that carry the FM series. They are all out of stock . Chef’s knife to go has a few for the company but these are fire ..! In your expert opinion? Where is the best place to find one for sale ? I am new to this game but not new to knives . I have to say Y Tanaka and Toghishi are both my two favorite. Hands down the best ever.. if I had the $$$ I would buy everything that they both make ..So as a exspert and some one who really really knows knives like you do.
> WHATS THE BEST ONE FOR ME TO GET ? I’m a laser kind of knife guy and have to say Takamura is awesome for professional kitchen work and my go to knife one day to day work. Toghishi and Tanaka are both just absolutely awesome and drive everything soooo smooothly .. cutting performance is the very best I ever had. After reading all your wrote I am definitely going for the FM series. I love the 3 2 1 thickness or lower … although I never tried there knives that are thicker at the heel .
> 
> I have a few Mr Itou knives and all I can say is I use them all at home .. they remind me of the 90’s thick steel like the Germany knives .. way way to thick for perfect perfection… they look good at that’s it ..!! Show pieces at best .
> ...


So a couple things. As you read, the Kaiju is a special version of the FM, finished by hand in Japanese naturals stones. This finish takes hours on hours over a standard FM finish, and done by one man. Because of this, there are very very few. Definitely less than 100.

Maybe around 50? So it's supply and demand. They don't even drop every year anymore. Typically a drop will have a handful of knives. Because of them hardly ever going for sale and the demand being super high, no one will let theirs go for less than 3k most likely. Or like I said, you have to trade another Uber rare knife.

However...the things I said above hold true only for Kaiju which are very limited, and the Togo Reigo FM's. For the "normal" FMs, they are dropped in websites every few months like tosho, CKTG, and other konosuke retailers, or if you are fast enough, people post them for sale here on the secondary market.

If you want something similar to an FM now there are plenty of options. You can buy a tetsujin kasumi or metal flow. These are ground by the same sharpener as the FM, myojin and will get you similarly great performance.

Another option is Nakagawa x Myojin with Damascus. Nakagawa is a fantastic Smith who does a great blue 1 Damascus clad, and you will get the same high performance grind from myojin that he is known for on the FMs.

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## Philly (Dec 16, 2022)

jedy617 said:


> So a couple things. As you read, the Kaiju is a special version of the FM, finished by hand in Japanese naturals stones. This finish takes hours on hours over a standard FM finish, and done by one man. Because of this, there are very very few. Definitely less than 100.
> 
> Maybe around 50? So it's supply and demand. They don't even drop every year anymore. Typically a drop will have a handful of knives. Because of them hardly ever going for sale and the demand being super high, no one will let theirs go for less than 3k most likely. Or like I said, you have to trade another Uber rare knife.
> 
> ...


So absolutely awesome..!! Yes you are 100 percent right on ..!! All day long bro you know your **** ..!! Hands down. So I have bin a chef for 30 years in Michelin star kitchen… I’m not new to knives ..! I have 50 + knives and counting.. I’m new here and I’m just getting really really interested and into Yoshikazu Tanaka and kenji toghishi..!! There stuff is fire …!! All of it ..!! So I’m looking at many options this far ..! Yea hands down number one..!! KonasukeFm ..!! Dama , there is sooo many but simply I have Toghishi white 1 and I’m looking for Tanaka blue 1 ..! Yes chef knives to go is getting a drop of Fm in two weeks..!! I have bin talking with the company..! I have personally talked with Natsuko ..!! This was a email from him yesterday.!


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## Philly (Dec 16, 2022)

jedy617 said:


> So a couple things. As you read, the Kaiju is a special version of the FM, finished by hand in Japanese naturals stones. This finish takes hours on hours over a standard FM finish, and done by one man. Because of this, there are very very few. Definitely less than 100.
> 
> Maybe around 50? So it's supply and demand. They don't even drop every year anymore. Typically a drop will have a handful of knives. Because of them hardly ever going for sale and the demand being super high, no one will let theirs go for less than 3k most likely. Or like I said, you have to trade another Uber rare knife.
> 
> ...


I have two metal flows and one really rare mojin Nakiri all of them are blue 2 kusami finish and Dumacasse..!! Straight fire …!! His blue steel turns my shallots black after two hours and durning service I have to bust out my Takamura and cut shallots on the fly 

Lmao


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## Philly (Dec 16, 2022)

jedy617 said:


> So a couple things. As you read, the Kaiju is a special version of the FM, finished by hand in Japanese naturals stones. This finish takes hours on hours over a standard FM finish, and done by one man. Because of this, there are very very few. Definitely less than 100.
> 
> Maybe around 50? So it's supply and demand. They don't even drop every year anymore. Typically a drop will have a handful of knives. Because of them hardly ever going for sale and the demand being super high, no one will let theirs go for less than 3k most likely. Or like I said, you have to trade another Uber rare knife.
> 
> ...


These knives are straight fire ..!! This site is awesome..! Thank you so much for all your help and time concerning these matters..!! I have learned a lot from you ..!! I’m going to use the site for sure ..!! FYI look at burnalcutlery.com San Francisco..!! They just made a really big Tanaka drop on tons of new knives ..!! I watched 25 new knifes hit the site and half of them all gone ..!! Top notch newest stuff and the sharpener is the same one as the original Fujiyama line ..!! FYI it’s going quick


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## Philly (Dec 17, 2022)

Philly said:


> These knives are straight fire ..!! This site is awesome..! Thank you so much for all your help and time concerning these matters..!! I have learned a lot from you ..!! I’m going to use the site for sure ..!! FYI look at burnalcutlery.com San Francisco..!! They just made a really big Tanaka drop on tons of new knives ..!! I watched 25 new knifes hit the site and half of them all gone ..!! Top notch newest stuff and the sharpener is the same one as the original Fujiyama line ..!! FYI it’s going quick


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## Dan- (Dec 18, 2022)

We all appreciate your enthusiasm, but maybe chill with the !!…!!..!! business.


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## Philly (Dec 19, 2022)

Dan- said:


> We all appreciate your enthusiasm, but maybe chill with the !!…!!..!! business.


Knifes are the way of life for a chef and I would never disrespect the art that we alll love and share ..!! Hands down it’s a art just like Michelin three star food is ..!! So we are all talking the same language..!! True or false??


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## jedy617 (Dec 19, 2022)

Really makes you think


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