Yu Kurosaki's New Studio: Takefu, June 2026
We visited Yu Kurosaki's new studio in Takefu on 10 June 2026. Concrete, a garden, a sharpening room and knives on the wall, eleven years on from 2015.
James Zhang |
KNS BLOG
Yu Kurosaki's New Studio: Takefu, June 2026
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Snow Country Forge: Visiting Kisuke Manaka in Sanjo
Report of visiting Kisuke Manaka's new snow-country Sanjo forge (rebuilt after the 2024 fire), covering his one-man-only output and the Manaka × Xinguo line.
James Zhang |
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Discover the Art of Sushi with Master Hirotoshi Ogawa in Sydney
Promo for Master Hirotoshi Ogawa's sushi lecture & workshop run with Sushi Association Australia at K&S Sydney.
James Zhang |
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Sharpening Service
Service page for K&S sharpening, chip/tip repair, thinning, and pricing.
Aron Zhang |
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A Visit to Nigara Hamono: Mastering the Art of Knife Sharpening in Hirosaki City
Account of taking Nigara Hamono's advanced sharpening course in Hirosaki (VG10 and SLD copper-damascus blanks on vertical water grinders).
James Zhang |
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Three visits to Itsuo Doi
Retrospective photo-post on four visits (2014–2023) to Itsuo Doi's forge, covering the Doi lineage and the Hien he forges for Sakai Takayuki.
James Zhang |
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Rockwell Hardness: a Key Element of Buying Kitchen Knives
Explains Rockwell hardness and why HRC (and its non-linearity) matters when choosing a knife.
James Zhang |
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Fifty minutes at the forge
Photo-essay of fifty minutes at Satoshi Nakagawa's Sakai forge, profiling the Shiraki disciple's single-bevel work.
James Zhang |
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Shoichi Hashimoto, the Knife Modeller
Profile (Part 1) of art-knife maker Shoichi Hashimoto and his sculptural, one-man Damascus pieces.
James Zhang |
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A few videos about rehandling
Points to a 3-video playlist on handle removal/installation (burn-in and glue methods).
James Zhang |
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How to friction fit a saya
DIY tutorial for friction-fitting a loose wooden saya with a small glued wooden shim.
James Zhang |
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K&S Natural Horn Color Classification
Founder's taxonomy of natural buffalo-horn ferrule colors (black, black marble, jade blonde, red marble, cream ivory) and their rarity in K&S handles.
James Zhang |
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The Best Gear for the Perfect Yakitori
Guide to authentic home-yakitori gear: the diatom-mud Konro grill and genuine Kishu binchotan charcoal.
James Zhang |
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Ergonomics and Knife Balance
Guest explainer by engineering intern John on how balance axis + grip pivot point drive blade feel, comparing his own Kurosaki against a K&S Tanaka Ginsan…
James Zhang |
