Kiridashi Knife By Second Generation Masayoshi For Right Hand - Triple Ura

Smith name: Kanda Kikuo (神田規久夫)

Blade Shaper: Yuzawa Akio(湯沢昭男,1938~?, At the age of 28, he completed his apprenticeship under Masayoshi I and succeeded to the title of Masayoshi II. After forging chisels in Adachi Ward, Tokyo for a period of time, he closed his blacksmith workshop and transitioned to running a tool shop.)

Steel: Carbon Steel

Jigane: Kamaji

Cutting edge length: 55mm

Total length: 220mm 

Blade width: about 24mm

Blade thickness: Bottom(6.5mm), Middle(5.3mm), Top(4.6mm)

Manufacture Era: 1990s (according to collector’s memory)

Weight: 173g

Blade Angles: 35°

Accessories：-

Additional Information:  It is unused and in nice condition, and made with high precision. These Masayoshi kiridashi knives come from the collection of a retired carpenter in the Kanto region. When I acquired them through a middleman, I was informed that the carpenter had purchased them directly from the shop of Masayoshi II, located in Adachi Ward, Tokyo.

According to my recent research, the blanks for these knives originated from Mosaku, the renowned plane blacksmith whose workshop was also in Adachi Ward, not far from the Masayoshi shop. The pieces were shaped by Yuzawa Akio himself, and once the shaping was complete, they were sent back to Mosaku for the final hardening (quenching). They are a collaborative work between the two smith.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have uncovered the "truth" behind these knives. A collaborative work between master blacksmiths is fundamentally different from the commercial division of labor driven by wholesalers. A partnership like this usually happens only when two smith hold absolute trust in each other’s technical skill and personal character.

This is one of my favorite Kiridashi knives made by the 2nd generation Masayoshi. The 'triple ura' structure was finely handcrafted with a sen scraper, and its shape flows flawlessly with the knife's outer silhouette. Additionally, the ura surfaces of the Kiridashi knives uploaded this time sit slightly higher than the handle surface, making the sharpening of the ura much more convenient.