Tetsujin Ginsan Kasumi K-tip Gyuto 240mm Ebony Handle

Not quite - and it is the single most common point of confusion when people shop for a kiritsuke. The two knives share the same striking angled, reverse-tanto tip, but underneath that tip they are very different tools.

A K-tip gyuto is normally a double-bevel knife: it is ground on both sides like any Western-style chef's knife, so it is forgiving to use, and sharpened exactly the way you would sharpen a normal gyuto. You get the dramatic kiritsuke look with the everyday usability of an all-purpose chef's knife.

A traditional kiritsuke, including the kiritsuke-yanagiba (slicer), is a single-bevel knife, ground on one side only. It is historically a master chef's knife: it takes real practice to use well, is set up for right-handed users by default, and needs single-bevel sharpening technique to maintain.

So if you want the kiritsuke silhouette with no learning curve, choose a K-tip gyuto. If you specifically want the traditional single-bevel discipline - and the precision it allows on fish and vegetables - choose a true kiritsuke. At Knives and Stones we stock both, and each product page tells you which construction you are looking at.

Ginsan is the name used for GIN 3, a stainless steel from Proterial. Proterial lists the carbon at 0.95 to 1.10% and the chromium at 13.00 to 14.50%.

Proterial describes it as a "Stainless steel which has hardness and sharpness comparable to carbon steel".

We find it suits a cook who wants a stainless knife that sharpens on stones. Dry it after use, like any knife.

Yes. Proterial lists the steel as GIN 3 with 13.00 to 14.50% chromium, above the Japan Stainless Steel Association's 10.5% minimum for stainless steel.

Proterial describes it as a stainless steel with hardness and sharpness comparable to carbon steel, used in various kitchen knives and scissors, and the association notes that stainless, strictly, means it rusts less. Wash the knife and dry it after use.

The Tetsujin Ginsan Kasumi is a budget-friendly knife line forged by blacksmith Toru Tamura and sharpened by Naohito Myojin, designed for professional chefs, students, and first-time buyers who need thin geometry for effortless slicing without the cost of premium steel.

This line prioritizes a sturdy feel and a thin edge that glides through ingredients, making it a practical daily driver for those who cut frequently but want to avoid the high price tag of top-tier Japanese steels. While the steel itself is not classified as premium, the construction delivers reliable performance for the price point, fitting the needs of anyone from a culinary student to a working chef looking for a durable, no-nonsense tool.

A hamaguri-ba edge, written 蛤刃, is a convex edge shape, and it is the shape the workshop 明神利器製作所 sharpens its knives to. Kochi City's craft page records that the workshop's second generation, whose name the page gives as 直人, learned it over several years of training in Fukui.

The same page says the workshop also takes sharpening-only orders from outside Kochi.

Yes. Kochi City's craft page for his workshop 明神利器製作所 says the work runs from forging through finishing in one continuous process, 鍛造から仕上げまで一貫して行う.

That page lists the workshop in Susaki, Kochi.