First Gyuto Help
Hi everyone. I’m thinking about buying this Hatsukokoro as my first Japanese knife. I tend to start a new hobby by researching far too much before even enjoying said hobby. That’s where I find myself with Japanese knives. I’m an avid home cook. I’ve been using cheap German knives for a long time and I want to get started with Japanese. I figured I’d start with a Gyuto as I do a little bit of everything prep wise. Eventually I’d like a couple specialty knives since I break down a chicken once a week, break down large proteins once a month, prep some saahimi/nigiri here and there, etc. But again, for now I figured I’d start with a 240 Gyuto. I’ve been researching for the last week and can’t seem to catch a break in the ~$300 range of Gyutos. Every lead I follow from this forum and others ends in “out of stock” or recent price hikes/tax&import fee problems (I’m in the US). I almost bought a Shiro Kamo Shirogami but then realized how much flex the blade has and definitely don’t want that. I like the idea of knowing exactly who made/sharpened the knife but again, every lead I followed ended with no stock or a huge price tag. I’ve looked for Ashi, yoshimi, yoshikane, Shiro kamo, matsubara, anryu, mazaki, kochi, watanabe, and many others, all either out of stock, or price hiked since posts where I saw them recommended. Or I’d get close to pulling the trigger and then find a bunch of people online saying “not worth it” or “there are better options”. Anyways… finally found this Hatsukokoro and feel like I should just buy it and get started. I’m sure I’ll end up buying other knives down the line so I really just want to get to know Japanese steel, how to sharpen/care for the blade, how to use it properly, etc. Is this a good starting place considering all my ramblings above?
If anyone has recs I’ll take them! Any links would be great. I’m sure I’m missing something here so feel free to call me out.
A couple early preferences I’ll add would be:
On the spectrum between workhorse and laser, I guess somewhere middle, approaching laser would be nice. I love the geometry I’ve seen from yoshikane—thick spine at the bolster but good tapering and gradual thinning behind the edge. But I definitely don’t want an absolute laser—I don’t want much (if any) flex.
I don’t want stainless core. I’m still a little lost in all the different types of steel—white, blue, etc. Stainless cladding is fine. I’m ok with something I might need to work with/sharpen. But I am very inexperienced with sharpening. I have king whetstones that I’ve sharpened German steel with. I’d love a balance of edge retention and sharpness, but if I had to pick one I’d say I want a really sharp knife. Been using not very sharp knives forever. (Of course they’re sharp after I sharpen them, but I assume Japanese steel will be better).
Finish doesn’t matter too much to me other than I don’t like high shine. It would be preferable for food not to stick to the knife but again, finish is least important to me as long as it isn’t super high polish. But even that is negotiable.
As stated before, looking around the $300 mark and wanting actual value. I almost bought a Masakage Koishi but stopped myself because I read a lot of people saying it’s not worth it/better knives exist for less money. $400 is definitely the most I’ll spend for now.
240mm is preferred as I have big hands and enough counter space for it. But not opposed to 210 if the geometry/price is right.
Again, let me know if I should just go for the Hatsukokoro and ignore all the other stuff for now. Thanks y’all!