About Masakage Koishi - 

These blades are thin and lightweight but substantial enough to fly through vegetables with ease. I love how most of the weight is focused on the business end of the knife, which is made from some truly remarkable steel. Kato-san forged this knife from Aogami Super, which gets shockingly sharp and keeps an edge for longer than most. The undisputed king of knife steel in my opinion.

The ‘tsuchime’ (meaning ‘hammered’) and ‘kurouchi’ (meaning ‘black hammered’) finish gives the impression of river pebbles, inspiring the name Koishi (meaning ‘small rocks’). A true culinary badass, like Jason Momoa in kitchen knife form.

Yoshimi Kato is the son-in-law and successor of Hiroshi Kato, one of the founders of Takefu Knife Village. The transition from apprentice to master blacksmith and company head has been seamless for Yoshimi-san. He tells me that he strives to continuously improve his skill day-by-day, and I look forward to working with the next generation of Kato for decades to come! 

Yoshimi-san is a quiet man, calmly pushing forward at a steady pace and speaking more through his knives than his words. And boy, do they speak! Yoshimi-san’s knives are among the most gorgeous, laser-like blades I’ve ever handled.

About the Shape - Shallots, garlic, herbs, itty bitty diced onion and tomato, beef tartare… none can stand up to the small but mighty Kamagata. The flatness along the edge and its height makes it ideal for chopping, and its flat-out adorable size makes it easy to wield for cooks of all sizes.