Yoshimi Kato Kintaro SG2 Suminagashi

The Yoshimi Kato Suminagashi SG2 is a signature line of Kato san and the Kintaro brand, and it shows how knives are made in TAKEFU Knife Village: good steel, careful sharpening, and close fit and finish.

What stands out first is the thinness. The spine stays thin from the tip all the way back to the tang, measured at 1.9mm at the thickest part, which puts these knives in the laser category, and they fly through corms and tubers. The subtle convex grind keeps food from sticking and lets the Damascus pattern flow from the spine to the edge.

The Suminagashi (墨流し, flowing ink) pattern is the highlight. The makers control the shape and distribution of the steel so that the layers flow like liquid, sometimes like herringbones, sometimes like waves, which is uncommon at this performance level. An etched layer sharpens the contrast between the steels.

The SG2 core holds its edge for an extensive time, and the geometry lets that edge move through almost anything you would cut.