The Kogetsu is the format in the Homura Kasumi lineup that surprises people most. The upswept belly and near-flat spine running to the tip give it a profile unlike any standard gyuto (Japan's all-purpose chef knife) - somewhere between a scimitar and an inverted santoku is how we described it when we first brought it in, and that description still holds. Itsuo Doi forges the blade from Blue #2 (Aogami 2) carbon steel with soft iron cladding in Sakai, where the Sakai Takayuki name has been associated with blade production for over 600 years. The kasumi (hazy) brushed satin finish on the iron jigane (outer cladding steel) and the polished Blue #2 edge that runs below it are the visual signatures of the Homura Kasumi line. Suogo Yamazuka's hamaguri (convex) grind is where the real craft shows - a geometry that looks atypical and performs like a knife you already know how to use.
At 242mm blade length and 55mm height the 240mm Kogetsu is a substantial knife - taller and longer than the 210mm version, with correspondingly more board presence and reach. The near-flat edge profile gives efficient push cuts from heel to mid-blade, and the deep belly toward the tip makes the arc feel like a natural extension of a standard gyuto cutting motion rather than an adjustment to a foreign profile. The convex grind thins the blade toward the edge in a way that produces a knife that cuts noticeably thinner than its spine thickness suggests - through dense winter squash and sweet potato in particular, the geometry does work that a flat-ground blade at the same thickness would struggle to replicate. The yew octagonal handle with black buffalo horn ferrule is the same high-quality fit-out as the rest of the Homura line. A matching black saya is included.
What Customers Are Saying: One serious Doi collector who also owns the 225mm kengata from this line approached this knife with skepticism - it looked suited for butchery and rock-chopping rather than his preferred push-cutting style. The grind changed his mind. The belly arc makes contact naturally without adjusting cutting motion, and the knife handles dense fibrous vegetables with authority. Sharpening the curved belly section proved more intuitive than expected - the arc complements standard sharpening angles rather than fighting them. Yamazuka-san's hamaguri grind is specifically credited as the star of the knife. The reviewer describes it as atypical but surprisingly versatile.
Care Instructions: Blue #2 is a reactive carbon steel. The soft iron cladding is also reactive and will develop its own patina over time. Wipe and dry the blade thoroughly after every use. Hand wash only - no dishwasher. Apply camellia oil before extended storage. Sharpen on quality water stones - the curved belly benefits from careful, consistent angle work through the arc.
At 242mm blade length and 55mm height the 240mm Kogetsu is a substantial knife - taller and longer than the 210mm version, with correspondingly more board presence and reach. The near-flat edge profile gives efficient push cuts from heel to mid-blade, and the deep belly toward the tip makes the arc feel like a natural extension of a standard gyuto cutting motion rather than an adjustment to a foreign profile. The convex grind thins the blade toward the edge in a way that produces a knife that cuts noticeably thinner than its spine thickness suggests - through dense winter squash and sweet potato in particular, the geometry does work that a flat-ground blade at the same thickness would struggle to replicate. The yew octagonal handle with black buffalo horn ferrule is the same high-quality fit-out as the rest of the Homura line. A matching black saya is included.
What Customers Are Saying: One serious Doi collector who also owns the 225mm kengata from this line approached this knife with skepticism - it looked suited for butchery and rock-chopping rather than his preferred push-cutting style. The grind changed his mind. The belly arc makes contact naturally without adjusting cutting motion, and the knife handles dense fibrous vegetables with authority. Sharpening the curved belly section proved more intuitive than expected - the arc complements standard sharpening angles rather than fighting them. Yamazuka-san's hamaguri grind is specifically credited as the star of the knife. The reviewer describes it as atypical but surprisingly versatile.
Care Instructions: Blue #2 is a reactive carbon steel. The soft iron cladding is also reactive and will develop its own patina over time. Wipe and dry the blade thoroughly after every use. Hand wash only - no dishwasher. Apply camellia oil before extended storage. Sharpen on quality water stones - the curved belly benefits from careful, consistent angle work through the arc.
- Brand: Sakai Takayuki
- Line: Homura
- Blacksmith: Itsuo Doi (Forging), Suogo Yamazuka (Grinding)
- Location: Sakai, Japan
- Construction: San Mai, Hammer Forged
- Edge Steel: Blue #2 (Aogami 2)
- Cladding: Soft Iron
- Finish: Kasumi (Hazy) Cladding, Polished Edge, Hamaguri (Convex) Grind
- Edge Grind: Even, Double Bevel
- Knife Type: Kogetsu (Gyuto)
- Handle: Yew Octagonal
- Ferrule: Black Buffalo Horn
- Saya: Black (Included)
- Weight: 8.1 oz (230g)
- Blade Length: 242mm
- Total Length: 403mm
- Spine Thickness at Base: 3mm
- Blade Height: 55mm
Reviews
1 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Atypical but surprisingly versatile and easy to sharpen, March 27, 2026Posted By: Weldon
I never gave this knife a second thought due to the profile. I am more of a push-cutting, gyuto kind of guy and this seemed suited for butchery and rock chopping (it can do that too). Then I read a review on one and was compelled to try it.
The knife ison the big side. While made in Sakai, it is a full 240+mm in length with a pretty girthy, well-made handle. The full kasumi finish is very nice and consistently applied.
Cutting was surprising. First, it push cuts very well. The arc of the belly seems to be all sweet spot and makes contact easily without too much alteration to my typical cutting motion. It is all thin bte, but not nail flexing, but cuts like a thinner knife. This thing murders dense, fibrous sweet potatoes and winter squashes. The geometry is the star of this show imo. Yamatsuka's skill is on full display; combining atypical profiles with superb hamaguri grinds.
I thought sharpening was going to be awkward, but the way the belly is ground, it sharpens surprisingly naturally when I got to that blade area. The belly's arc seems to match or compliment other angles in sharpening and it almost feels like sharpening a standard gyuto.
I never gave this knife a second thought due to the profile. I am more of a push-cutting, gyuto kind of guy and this seemed suited for butchery and rock chopping (it can do that too). Then I read a review on one and was compelled to try it.
The knife ison the big side. While made in Sakai, it is a full 240+mm in length with a pretty girthy, well-made handle. The full kasumi finish is very nice and consistently applied.
Cutting was surprising. First, it push cuts very well. The arc of the belly seems to be all sweet spot and makes contact easily without too much alteration to my typical cutting motion. It is all thin bte, but not nail flexing, but cuts like a thinner knife. This thing murders dense, fibrous sweet potatoes and winter squashes. The geometry is the star of this show imo. Yamatsuka's skill is on full display; combining atypical profiles with superb hamaguri grinds.
I thought sharpening was going to be awkward, but the way the belly is ground, it sharpens surprisingly naturally when I got to that blade area. The belly's arc seems to match or compliment other angles in sharpening and it almost feels like sharpening a standard gyuto.
