Takayuki Iwai Blue 2 steel Ibuki Kurouchi black hammered finish Santoku knife 170mm

Takayuki Iwai Blue 2 steel Ibuki Kurouchi black hammered finish Santoku knife 170mm

Ibuki series of premium professional use knives are made of Aogami blue 2 steel, resulting in excellent sharpness and edged life. Made by Takayuki Iwai who is certified Japanese traditional craft-man in Echizen.

-- Size -- *approx

Santoku 170mm (Cutting edged length 168mm)
Total length 308mm, Blade width 46mm, blade thickness 1.8 to 5mm, 155g

-- Material --
*Blade: Aogami blue 2 steel, Double edged

*Handle : rose wood D shape w/ Plywood bolster

*Made in Japan, A brand new



Takayuki Iwai: A Knifesmith Intent on Preserving the Ancient Japanese Way of Hammering and Forging Knives by Hand
Employing the ancient, Japanese traditional techniques of knife making from forge welding (the process of hammering and forging steel and soft iron) to finishing, Mr. Takayuki Iwai is one of the very few knifesmiths who is certified as a Japanese traditional craftsman. He crafts a wide variety of knives - mainly kitchen knives from tuna dissecting knives with blades of more than 60 cm (23.6 inches) long to petty knives, as well as knives for forestry use. Utilizing knife skills of the highest level, he can work with various kinds of steel that are considered to be difficult to work with such as Aogami super and white 1 steel.

Characteristics of an Takayuki Iwai Knives
Knife with a black-finished Kurouchi blade that exhibits strength

The surface of this knife is covered in a black oxide film during hammering and forging over a fire grate. This process prevents the blade from rusting.



Paying Particular Attention to the Center of Gravity
By creating a thickness near the handle, the center of gravity lies near the user’s hand. This gives the knife a good balance, and it is devised in a way that it is a joy to hold.



About Iwai Knives
Mr. Genmatsu Iwai, the father of Mr. Takayuki Iwai and the first-generation head established the Iwai Knife Factory in 1961. Genmatsu created kitchen knives as a craftsman exclusively working at a knife wholesaler in Sakai, Osaka, the largest Japanese knife-producing area in Japan. Takayuki too, spent his childhood in Sakai. But because of the war, Genmatsu lost his job, and he moved to Echizen (Takefu City in Fukui Prefecture today) where his relatives lived. He opened a small studio there, and resumed his knifesmithing work. Meanwhile, Takayuki pursued knifesmithing beginning in his teenage years, and since then, has devoted more than 55 years of his life to the craft.
Mr. Iwai conducts almost every process in knifesmithing - from the ancient Japanese way of smith forging (the process of layering steel and soft iron that becomes the blade by hand), the production of the blade, up to the attachment of the handle.