We have been working closely with Master Gotou to create a new range of 'super-high end' knives that will include unique 'one-of-a-kind' knives and limited edition custom knives with special handles. Today, we are very excited to introduce the KAGAYAKI NOVEL― Limited Edition Custom Series!

“Beautiful”, “Exclusive” and “Luxurious” are the words that perhaps best describe these Custom Limited Edition, Perfectly Mirror Polished, R-2 steel knives from Master Gotou.

It has been always pleasure to work with Master Gotou and his team of highly skilled craftsmen to develop our high quality KAGAYAKI series of Western-styled knives. Due to the consistently high standards of quality and craftsmanship achieved by Master Gotou and his team of fine craftsmen, our KAGAYAKI Basic Series, KAGAYAKI CarboNext Series and KAGAYAKI R-2 Damascus Series knives have become very popular with our customers.

In order to satisfy new market demands, including those of a large number of experienced users and knife enthusiasts, Master Gotou has been refining his techniques for making a new generation of special steel knives. Master Gotou selected a special Powdered Metallurgy High Speed Tool Steel called “R-2”, which he heat treats to HRc. 63. R-2 is produced by a highly reputable Japanese company called Kobelco and offers remarkable cutting performance and edge retention. The blades have a 3-layer construction, with outer layers of soft stainless steel that support the hard R-2 steel core, providing improved blade strength and allowing easy maintenance.

Master Gotou never ceases in his quest to improve product quality and these special knives reach the highest levels of craftsmanship. This year, he has invested tremendous time leaning a special mirror polishing technique from Japan’s top craftsmen. This special mirror polishing process is very time consuming and requires extreme care; If any part of the complex finishing process is not done properly, the craftsman will have to repeat the entire finishing process again if they are to produce a top-level mirror polished blade.

KAGAYAKI NOVEL R-2 SUNSHINE, Custom Limited EditionKnives come with a Beautiful Custom Handmade Handle, that is carefully hand contoured and polished to ensure both a beautiful appearance and a comfortable, secure grip.

The knives feature full tang construction, premium handle scales, a perfectly mirror polished stainless steel bolster and a Handmade “JCK” Mosaic Pin that adds a stylish design accent. The bolster and blade tang are beautifully mirror polished to match the magnificent blade, and the forged stainless steel bolster provides increased durability and improved blade balance.

Many of our experienced and serious users prefer the style and practicality offered by a Japanese Kiritsuke blade, so we have worked closely with Mr. Gotou to develop a Kiritsuke-Bunka and Kiritsuke-Gyuto. He worked very hard to develop a well-balanced collection of Kiritsuke knives that have superb cutting performance and a great visual appearance. The blade spine is mirror polished for extra visual beauty and the overall quality of the angular Kiritsuke blade is remarkably high.

We hope you enjoy these 'one-of-a-kind' R-2 Sunshine Mirror Polished Kiritsuke knives with Custom, Handmade Western-style handles — Not only are they beautiful and stylish, they are also very practical.

Notice About the Perfect Mirror Polished Blade:

The Kagayaki NOVEL R-2 SUNSHINE Series are artfully finished with perfectly mirror polished blades - They really do shine like a anctual mirror!

We deeply respect the high level of craftsmanship and time intensive processes that are necessary to achieve this level of mirror polished blade.

However, we must warn our customers that there is a possibility that the beautiful mirror polished blade can become visibly scratched whilst you are using the knives, or sharpening them. This is obviously undesirable, but the mirror polished blade will remain for many years, especially if it is handled with a little extra care and attention. We hope that your magnificent mirror polished blade will remain vivid and beautiful, and that it will be your special cooking partner for long, long time!