Takamura Gyuto Migaki VG-10 210mm (8.3″)

Takamura Migaki Gyuto VG-10 210mm (8.3″) is a knife we recommend for professional chefs and all you talented home cooks, but above all it’s a great first knife for young chefs. Why? The knife is easy to maintain and offers long-lasting sharpness.

Gyuto is a Japanese version of traditional European chef knives. The 210 mm length is optimal for the versatile chef, who spends his days both chopping vegetables and cutting meat. The blade is extremely thin, which allows the user to work precisely even with the smallest pieces of ingredients. The blade edge is sharpened to 50/50 angle, and stays super sharp even after hours of constant use. 

The knife was fitted a western-style (Yo) ergonomic handle made of durable laminated pakka wood, secured to the tang with three stainless rivets. The bolster gives the knife a gentle transition from the handle to the blade and provides a comfortable and firm grip during use. Because of its symmetricity  the handle fits perfectly in both palms. It makes the knife slightly heavier, but the distribution of weight between the handle and the blade enables extremely comfortable work and easy handling of the knife.

The core of the knife is made of VG-10 steel, which is currently the most popular Japanese steel. When deciding which steel to use for a particular blade, one has to weigh its properties such as hardness, retaining sharpness, ease of maintenance, steel graininess, ease of sharpening, and lastly, cost and affordability. The VG-10 (V for Vanadium, G for “gold”, which means top quality) is produced by Takefu Special Steel Company, a relatively small company that 60 years prior managed to find the perfect balance between elements forming this famous Japanese steel.

VG-10 is a stainless steel of relatively high carbon content – 1% (C), 15% chromium (Cr), 1% molybdenum (Mo), 0.3% vanadium (V) and 1.5% cobalt (Co). The combination of Cr, Mo and V forms many solid carbides, which gives the steel abrasion resistance and consequently better retention of sharpness.

BLACKSMITH:
Takamura Hamono is a smithy located in Echizen (Fukui Prefecture) owned by the Takamura family for over 60 years. It is now headed by the eldest son Terukazu Takamura, who took over from his father Toshiyuki (who took over from his father, the smithy’s founder Isamu Takamura-san). The knives Terukazu-san has been making since 1985 are known for their outstanding geometry, sophistication in design, and sharpness. Their quality was recognized in a consumer test report Smartson in Sweden, where they beat the competition. Takamura Hamono has gained notoriety since the knives became the #1 choice of world-renowned chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, René Redzepi, Mark Best, Hiromi Yamada, and the TV personality Martha Stewart (just to name a few!).

All of this makes Takamura knives very difficult to obtain and the wait time is very long due to a limited production capacity. Nevertheless, the craftsmanship and sophistication of their products make the wait well worthwhile.