Honesuki - Custom Stainless - TAK.2026.003

Not every knife fits neatly into a category. This one certainly doesn’t.

A single-bevel Honesuki, traditionally designed for poultry and fine boning work, but with a character and steel composition that makes it particularly interesting.

The maker, Sensai “Masamune,” uses his own proprietary alloy composition — a stainless blend he describes as sitting somewhere between VG10 and SS60. It doesn’t quite conform to the usual Japanese steel grading table, which is part of what makes this knife so intriguing.

The result is a knife with the corrosion resistance and practicality expected from stainless steel, paired with an unusual composition and a very distinctive cutting feel.

And then there’s the history behind it.

Hakata has a long association with Japanese swordmaking, producing exceptional Chikuzen swords as far back as the Heian period. During the Kamakura period, the region flourished under the Samonji school, whose tradition was influenced by the legendary swordsmith Masamune.

That swordmaking heritage eventually found its way into Japanese kitchen knives — carrying forward the pursuit of exceptional steel, geometry and cutting performance.

A poultry knife by purpose.
A swordmaking story by heritage.
And a steel composition that doesn’t quite belong anywhere else.