Makoto Sakura Tsuchime Petty 135mm

Makoto san has come up with a very nice knife line here with the Sakura Tsuchime. Let's break down what each word means since it's a mouthful. Makoto Kurosaki is his name. He chose the name for his brand as Makoto because his brother uses Kurosaki. Sakura means Cherry Tree which is revered for it's beauty in Japan. If you ever travel to Japan in the spring you'll be amazed at the massive amount of blossoming cherry trees everywhere. Makoto san use cherry wood handles on his knives which inspired the name. Tsuchime means "hammered" and refers to the hammered cladding on the blade. Santoku is the shape of the knife. Phew!

Makoto Kurosaki started working as an apprentice blacksmith under the guidance of famed blade maker Hiroshi Kato. He and his younger brother, Yu, worked alongside each other until Yu moved to his own shop in Echizen. They collaborate on various projects and Makoto still does work with Kato-san. We are really pleased to be working with this incredibly talented blacksmith.

The knives presented here are fashioned from SG2 stainless steel. SG2 is a powdered metallurgical steel similar to R-2 Powdered High Speed tool steel. R-2 is made by Kobelco steel company while SG2 is marketed and sold by Takefu steel company. Makers who work with R-2 steel in custom knives tend to forge it and use a different heat treatment process compared to stamped SG-2 blades. It is a good steel for kitchen knives, especially for those wanting an easy to care for item that will stay sharp over extended periods.

The 135mm petty is a great all-around kitchen knife for smaller products and tasks like garnish preparation. This knife has a super slim and thin blade that is ground in a 50/50 symmetrical manner. The lovely cherry wood handle gives this knife a great balance which is especially important with a knife of this type. Beautiful to look at and to use. We highly recommend the knives coming from this extremely well rounded blacksmith.

Blacksmith: Makoto Kurosaki

Location: Takefu, Japan

Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai

Steel: SG2 Stainless

Cladding: Stainless Steel

Finish: Tsuchime

Engraving: Laser

Grind: Even

Edge Length: 135mm

Height: 30mm

Weight: 2oz