Thread: Complex grinds?

Originally Posted by cosperryan

This is the exact knife that I am curious about. It is a funayaki. I am guessing that it is a double bevel as it says its from the Tosa Region. So if it is double bevel then what is the complex grind? I know about the single bevel knives and they're interesting grinds and was looking at a couple of single bevel funayakis as well.

Edit: Forgot to add the link.
Kajiwara Kurouchi Funayaki 165mm

The description says it is a single bevel knife, so it should have the above posted grind geometry.
Those grinds are tricky to sharpen keep that in mind if you are new to single bevel Japanese knives.

Originally Posted by mainaman

The description says it is a single bevel knife, so it should have the above posted grind geometry.
Those grinds are tricky to sharpen keep that in mind if you are new to single bevel Japanese knives.

"In the Tosa region it became common to give the knives a double bevel and use them as a gyuto would be used. As Kajiwara-san resides in Tosa, his rendition of the funayaki follows in the Tosa tradition"

That right there makes me think it is a double bevel.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

"In the Tosa region it became common to give the knives a double bevel and use them as a gyuto would be used. As Kajiwara-san resides in Tosa, his rendition of the funayaki follows in the Tosa tradition"

That right there makes me think it is a double bevel.

You are correct, it is symmetric, then I am not sure what they mean by complex grind. May be send them a message and ask. The way they describe the knife is confusing IMO. Sounds like one has to know the knife making history of all those regions to figure out what the description means.

Hmmm, impossible to say for sure but my guess would be the forge finished area is flat and the primary bevel (polished area) has a convex grind. Not that 'complex' really but looks like it could be a nice workhorse

Originally Posted by mikew

Hmmm, impossible to say for sure but my guess would be the forge finished area is flat and the primary bevel (polished area) has a convex grind. Not that 'complex' really but looks like it could be a nice workhorse

Exactly what I was thinking. I don't see how complex it would be. It really threw me for a loop. I was starting to think that maybe each bevel is maybe at a different degree but I really have no idea. I have a set of wannabe japanese sushi knives. They are made by Mundial. They don't have the urasaki or a true shingoi and the finish is terrible but I got them as a gift and they are better then all my other knives albeit with some modifications to the angles.

Even on a Western style knife like a gyuto, you can have sections of the blade that are ground flat and parallel, "trapezoid" flat like a wedge or standard flat knife grind, hollow and convex all in a space no more than 2 inches wide.

I do all my cutting with a cheapo cleaver from WallyWorld. Everything from busting up an onion to chopping veggies to cutting through chicken bones. You don't need a range of knives, the cleaver does it all, from finesse work to heavy muscle work.

The same could be said for a cheap disposable plastic razor yet here we are.

Originally Posted by Wayne1963

I do all my cutting with a cheapo cleaver from WallyWorld. Everything from busting up an onion to chopping veggies to cutting through chicken bones. You don't need a range of knives, the cleaver does it all, from finesse work to heavy muscle work.