Before we began the JCK Original “KAGAYAKI” project, I had the chance to see the kitchen knives being produced by Mr. Gotou, who runs a small workshop here in Seki-City, which is one of the main knife manufacturing center’s in Japan. He appeared to be making a Western-style kitchen knife, of the type that can be seen anywhere, but when I looked at it closely I noticed that the blade had an unusual sparkling finish, which is the result of a special finishing technique that he uses. Mr. Gotou told me that he is passionate about paying extra attention during every step of making. I was extremely impressed with his dedication to improving the quality of his knives and I decided that I would work with him to develop our “KAGAYAKI” range of Western-style knives - "Kagayaki 輝", means "sparkling" in Japanese.

 We decided that we did not want a revolutionary new knife design for this project. Instead, we wanted an evolutionary knife design that used a standard knife shape, as this would allow us to better show off the special finish and high quality workmanship of Mr. Gotou. For 40 years, it has been Mr. Gotou’s goal to make highly functional blades that have excellent cutting performance, blade geometry, edge sharpness and durability. He has made knives for many famous Japanese retailers and knife companies, and we recommend his knives with confidence.

 Our “KAGAYAKI Basic Series” knives are made with V-Gold No.1 stainless steel, heat-treated to HRc. 60. Their beautiful sparkling blades are meticulously hand finished and their smooth pakkawood handles will fit your hand comfortably. We think that in terms of quality control and cutting performance these knives are a work of art, they will bring joy to home cooks and chefs alike.