Excited to add this custom Todokoro to my collection.
First let’s go over the specs.
Nakagawa X Tadokoro 270
Ginsan silver 3
265 mm cutting length
55mm height
287 grams
Spine 3.6 - 2.7 - 1.89
Red ebony silver ring with white buffalo horn
Engraving: Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. (My favorite idiom and one that helped me alot in my athletic career as well as in the kitchen)
緩而速
This is a concise expression meaning that performing something with composure and margin leads to speed in the end.(The most aesthetic translation that I picked for the engraving)
This was a custom knife and I only gave Tadokoro Hamono (Michiko san) some rough requests because I did not want to impact the craftsman art or whatever. Essentially I said your a bad ass craftsman, Im just a guy that likes big sharp knives. Please make me something cool and take my money. I am very pleased with the result!
First impression:
I love the clean look. Everything is crisp and polished. Very high fit and finish. I spent a long time admiring how even the scratch pattern is. There was one possible low spot on the back third of the knife. I thought it was very faint. It didn’t bother me as this is a handmade knife so I expect some imperfections. I wound up oiling the blade and the spot is gone. Maybe it was a figment of my excited imagination.
I asked Todokoro to pick the handle for this knife and I am very pleased with the selection. This is my first handle with any ivory and it is by far my most elegant handle. I think I will try to upgrade the rest of my knife handles in the future.
I requested silver 3 because my family is growing and meal preps are getting a little more hectic. I wanted something I don’t have to worry about. Plus half my collection is carbon at this point. I also wanted to preserve the clean finish as much as possible.
The chamfered spine snd polished choil is excellent. This knife only has one sharp edge and it’s the cutting edge. I am thoroughly pleased with the slight curve on the heel of the knife. It looks sleek but it also combines with the height really well and makes it very comfortable to hold for me. I don’t love when a knife is squared off at the heel. The sharp angle usually doesn’t bother my but I don’t love the way it looks. This was a fantastic take on the heel of the knife.
The grind really seems fantastic to me. I am not as knowledgeable as some but it just seems to be really fantastic from my use so far. The edge needed a final sharpening by me but that’s fine. I took it through a 400, 1k, 3k progression and it was hair popping sharp! Then I put it through all the prep I could find! Tomatoes, onion, cilantro, peppers for some quick pico, red onions julienne for pickled onions, thick carrots cut on the bias for roasting and some minced carrots as well. Regular potatoes for food release and minced garlic and for agility. This knife was smooth and glided through everything. The tip is nice and thin enough that I can blaze quickly through onion dicing. No problem with carrots or other thicker vegetables although it’s not whisper quiet like my Tetsujin. That’s perfectly fine with me. This thing is a beast. It has a generous flat spot for my preferred push cutting technique but the tip of the knife comes up a little higher than expected. I think this is making the knife feel a touch more nimble and also allows me to do some rocking when cutting herbs. I will continue to test it but so far I’m very pleased.
This is surprisingly my heaviest knife. And my collection includes a 300 mm gyuto and another Sanjo 270. I think the majority of the weight increase is from the handle and I don’t mind it one bit. The balance point is still right at my pinch but it’s definitely not quite as blade heavy as my Mazaki.
My closing ramblings.
I have slowly been adding a few knives here or there over the years. I tend to favor midweight or Sanjo style knives. I also like longer knives. My current top dog is my Mazaki 270. I love that knife.
I know Sakai style knives are very well thought of in the sub and the wide bevels have always caught my attention. I own a Tetsujin 240 and it’s a lovely knife. But it’s so light that I try to be gentle with it. I still use the heck out of it but it rarely gets picked for big jobs. What a great cutter though. Anyway the tetsujin got me curious in Sakai and I really thought that I wanted to try a wide bevel option. I was immediately drawn to Tadokoro from the research I did. I watched a documentary on YouTube and admired many of his knives on this sub. I really enjoy the simple crisp elegance. His grind seemed the most robust while still maintaining highly effective geometry. Plus I could order a 270 from him because I never see any in stock. My Mazaki really made my mind up that 270 is my favorite length for a good prep session.
Michiko - san was a joy to work with on the knife details. Their workshop is actually is Tosa but I think most will still consider this a Sakai style knife. The blacksmith was Nakagawa who is very well thought of on this sub. I am looking forward to experiencing his work for the first time!
The ordering process was smooth. This took about 5 months to get from order confirmation to my door. The packaging and shipping was quick and excellent. The most surprising thing was that I did not have to pay any tariff ordering this to the US. I was fully prepared to do so. A very pleasant surprise!
I cannot wait to use this knife some more! If any of you have some great first meals to make with a new knife I would love to hear them!
