Kohetsu is a CKTG exclusive brand - knives developed and specified by Mark Richmond, made in Seki City, Japan. The name loosely translates to "be happy." Seki is Japan center of production-scale knife making, organized around a network of specialist shops - forgers, grinders, sharpeners, handle fitters - each owning one stage of the process, with blades moving between them in plastic crates on small delivery trucks. Mark visited Seki City and toured these shops personally. The Kohetsu AS line is made by the Tsukahara family, specialists in finish sharpening, with Aogami Super hardened to HRC 64 and tested for consistency on every batch.
The santoku - three virtues in Japanese, for slicing, dicing, and mincing - is the all-purpose kitchen knife that suits cooks who prefer a shorter, more compact blade. At 180mm this one sits at the larger end of the santoku range with excellent knuckle clearance. The 60/40 asymmetric grind is biased toward the right side with a feathered, thinned tip - Tsukahara-san does this intentionally to improve cutting performance, particularly on fine cuts near the point. A hazy scratch pattern near the edge is a normal result of this thinning process, not a defect. Stainless san-mai cladding protects the AS core and simplifies daily maintenance while the carbon edge does the cutting work. The ho wood octagonal handle with buffalo horn ferrule is well finished and light in hand, suitable for right- and left-handed users. Fit and finish are of a high standard throughout. CKTG is the only source for this line.
What Customers Are Saying: Multiple reviewers praise the edge retention on quality boards and the ease of sharpening on mid-range stones. One cook calls it a rival to higher-priced Japanese santokus and praises the handle comfort for right- and left-handed use. Another bought it as a gift for a gourmet home cook and calls Kohetsu some of the best knives for the money at any price point.
Care Instructions: Aogami Super is a reactive carbon steel - the stainless cladding protects the flanks but the exposed carbon edge will patina naturally with use. Wipe and dry the blade immediately after every use. Avoid leaving acidic foods on the edge. Hand wash only, never dishwasher. Apply camellia oil for long-term storage. Sharpen on quality water stones - AS at HRC 64 rewards good sharpening technique and responds beautifully to stropping. A hazy or cloudy scratch pattern near the edge is normal and results from the intentional thinning process during sharpening.
The santoku - three virtues in Japanese, for slicing, dicing, and mincing - is the all-purpose kitchen knife that suits cooks who prefer a shorter, more compact blade. At 180mm this one sits at the larger end of the santoku range with excellent knuckle clearance. The 60/40 asymmetric grind is biased toward the right side with a feathered, thinned tip - Tsukahara-san does this intentionally to improve cutting performance, particularly on fine cuts near the point. A hazy scratch pattern near the edge is a normal result of this thinning process, not a defect. Stainless san-mai cladding protects the AS core and simplifies daily maintenance while the carbon edge does the cutting work. The ho wood octagonal handle with buffalo horn ferrule is well finished and light in hand, suitable for right- and left-handed users. Fit and finish are of a high standard throughout. CKTG is the only source for this line.
What Customers Are Saying: Multiple reviewers praise the edge retention on quality boards and the ease of sharpening on mid-range stones. One cook calls it a rival to higher-priced Japanese santokus and praises the handle comfort for right- and left-handed use. Another bought it as a gift for a gourmet home cook and calls Kohetsu some of the best knives for the money at any price point.
Care Instructions: Aogami Super is a reactive carbon steel - the stainless cladding protects the flanks but the exposed carbon edge will patina naturally with use. Wipe and dry the blade immediately after every use. Avoid leaving acidic foods on the edge. Hand wash only, never dishwasher. Apply camellia oil for long-term storage. Sharpen on quality water stones - AS at HRC 64 rewards good sharpening technique and responds beautifully to stropping. A hazy or cloudy scratch pattern near the edge is normal and results from the intentional thinning process during sharpening.
- Brand: Kohetsu
- Exclusive: CKTG Exclusive - Available Only at CKTG
- Blacksmith: Tsukahara Family
- Location: Seki City, Japan
- Construction: San Mai
- Edge Steel: Aogami Super (Super Blue) Carbon Steel
- Cladding: Stainless Steel
- HRC: 64
- Finish: Migaki (Polished)
- Edge Grind: 60/40 Asymmetric Double Bevel
- Engraving: Acid Etched Kanji
- Handle: Octagonal Ho Wood (Magnolia)
- Ferrule: Buffalo Horn
- Blade Length: 180mm
Reviews
6 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Love it. Product Review
Product ReviewPosted By: N. - verified customer
13 people found this review helpful
I'm a line cook and I'm using this knife for work. I'm very pleased with my purchase; it feels much less hefty than the Shuns my coworkers favor and I really like the shape of the blade itself. Superb edge. Only reason I give it 4 stars as opposed to five is that I think it's possible there might be less blade friction if there was more polish on the SS cladding, but I'm sure that's a modification that could be made after market.
13 people found this review helpful
I'm a line cook and I'm using this knife for work. I'm very pleased with my purchase; it feels much less hefty than the Shuns my coworkers favor and I really like the shape of the blade itself. Superb edge. Only reason I give it 4 stars as opposed to five is that I think it's possible there might be less blade friction if there was more polish on the SS cladding, but I'm sure that's a modification that could be made after market.
Product Review Product ReviewPosted By: Nicholas Miller - verified customer
11 people found this review helpful
This has a great profile.Wonderful grind, great edge retention, good height and excellent weight.I use it on the line when my 240's are too big to fit and it's a great small batch prep knife as well, I frequently use it when doing bruinoise shallots.This one has me tempted to buy the rest of this line as my knife kit. Love the knife you won't find better for the price range.
11 people found this review helpful
This has a great profile.Wonderful grind, great edge retention, good height and excellent weight.I use it on the line when my 240's are too big to fit and it's a great small batch prep knife as well, I frequently use it when doing bruinoise shallots.This one has me tempted to buy the rest of this line as my knife kit. Love the knife you won't find better for the price range.
Product ReviewPosted By: Michael - verified customer
12 people found this review helpful
Really nice knife.Thin grind, hard steel and well balanced. What more could one want?It is also light and the out-of-the-box edge is respectable.(didn't stop me from refining the edge on my leather strops though; achieved shaving sharpness with just a few strokes)All in all i think that not many other Santokus in this price category can go toe-to-toe with this Kohetsu and live to tell the tale.Blade angle seems to be below the 15? that so many Richmond knives have. Maybe 11? or 12? but this is only a rough estimate.
12 people found this review helpful
Really nice knife.Thin grind, hard steel and well balanced. What more could one want?It is also light and the out-of-the-box edge is respectable.(didn't stop me from refining the edge on my leather strops though; achieved shaving sharpness with just a few strokes)All in all i think that not many other Santokus in this price category can go toe-to-toe with this Kohetsu and live to tell the tale.Blade angle seems to be below the 15? that so many Richmond knives have. Maybe 11? or 12? but this is only a rough estimate.
