Mazaki White 2 Kurouchi Gyuto 240mm 2023 Version

Second batch of Mazaki for 2023. More of a traditional Sanjo profile. Standard K&S Ebony with black horn handle, with optional wenge saya. 

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Mazaki is a one-man operation based in Sanjo, Niigata. His knife is artistically beautful, and from the very beginning with very high level of Fit and Finish. I didn't look further into it as its cutting style was not my preference. 

A while ago I was able to sample his latest work and was thoroughly impressed by how much it has improved. His knife now cuts much better than his earlier ones. I am particularly impressed that Mazaki's knife is largely finished on a stone by hand, while it is a much more time consuming process, such process ensures the knife is straight and flat with minimal low spots. We are talking about a type of finishing that is very much like Shigefusa's final handle sharpening process (albeit not the same level of polishing), rather than a water grinder sharpening process, which creates uneveness and low spots along the blade road, and sometimes even worse: over-grind. Given the effort that Mazaki-san has put in, the production is understandably very limited, and given the low price, I am sure his work will be highly thought after veyr soon. 

I would confidently rate it amongst some of the best Sanjo knives out there because:

• Trained under Kato-san, excellent White 2 heat treatment;
• Tall and long profile, edge has excellent sweet spot;
• Signature Sanjo grind, with thick spine at the heel, and aggressive taper;
• Thin behind the edge with excellent cutting performance and food release;
• Iron cladding, will rust if care is not taken.

I am super happy that I can offer you, my fellow knife enthusiasts, another top quality knife from Sanjo.

Measurements