• Gyuto 270mm Full Mirror Polish Honyaki C105-W1 Integral Oosik & Ebony
  • Gyuto 270mm Full Mirror Polish Honyaki C105-W1 Integral Oosik & Ebony – detail view
  • Gyuto 270mm Full Mirror Polish Honyaki C105-W1 Integral Oosik & Ebony – side profile
  • Gyuto 270mm Full Mirror Polish Honyaki C105-W1 Integral Oosik & Ebony – handle detail
  • Gyuto 270mm Full Mirror Polish Honyaki C105-W1 Integral Oosik & Ebony – blade close-up
  • Gyuto 270mm Full Mirror Polish Honyaki C105-W1 Integral Oosik & Ebony – view 6
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Gyuto 270mm Full Mirror Polish Honyaki C105-W1 Integral Oosik & Ebony

Gyuto 270mm Full Mirror Polish Honyaki C105-W1 Integral Oosik & Ebony

By Jonas Johnsson

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Jonas Johnsson

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A Gyuto 270mm forged in C105 or W1 steel, an amazingly thin and sharp blade with a high performance walkschliff grind and tapered spine. The hamon is an incredible subtle, hazy, wave pattern that streaks across the top of the blade and compliments the beautiful mirror polish perfectly. This is one of the finest honyaki blades we have had the privilege of seeing.

A perfect mirror, to create such a thing means hours of work just for this one detail. From a blackened piece of steel covered in forging scale the blade must be profiled, and ground clean, the bevels and walkschliff cutting geometry must be applied, then finally the artisan works by hand, sanding and polishing until every scratch is blended and the steel becomes the beautiful mirror you see here. This is just part of the work that has gone into creating this masterpiece from artisan blacksmith Jonas Johnsson aka Isasmedjan.

Extending back from the forged integral bolster is an incredible, extraordinary Oosik and ebony handle. The blue, green and yellow hues of the speckled material are a striking, textural pairing with the smooth as silk mirror blade and the luxurious dark ebony spacer that traverses the middle of the handle provides a beautiful piece of contrast.

This is a once in a year piece for Swedish artisan blacksmith Jonas Johnson, with hours of work invested in the forging and polishing of the blade, and incredibly rare and beautiful materials for the handle. A stunning center piece in any collection.

Product Specification
  • Blade Type:
  • Edge Length: 270mm
  • Spine Heel: 3mm
  • Spine Mid: 1.44mm
  • Spine Tip (20mm before): 0.95mm
  • Blade Height: 53mm
  • Weight: 209g
  • Cutting Edge Steel:
  • Steel class: Carbon
  • HRC: 64+
  • Blade Construction:
  • Blade Finish: Mirror Polish
  • Grind:
  • Handle Construction:
  • Handle Materials: Oosik, Ebony
  • Handedness: Ambidextrous

Blade type

Gyuto

牛刀

The gyuto is the Japanese interpretation of the western chef knife, and the most versatile blade in a modern kitchen. It carries a long edge, most often 210 to 270 mm, that runs flatter through the heel than its western counterpart before rising in a gentle, late curve to a fine point — a line that favours push- and pull-cutting while still allowing a rocking motion when the work calls for it. There is enough height at the heel to keep knuckles clear of the board, and the tip is fine enough for detail work, which is why most cooks reach for it first.

The flatter edge is the defining characteristic and the trade-off both. More of the blade lands on the board at once, which suits push cutting and gives clean, decisive contact through an ingredient, but a cook who works primarily by rocking will find less curve to work with than a western profile offers. Modern makers increasingly blur the line between the two, drawing a profile that rocks and push-cuts equally well — Birch & Bevel's Modern Gyuto profile, Antoine Kniamen's Western Gyuto, and Benjamin Kamon's own gyuto profile are all examples of that hybrid thinking.

View full knife type guide →

Cutting edge steel

W1

Plain high-carbon water-hardening tool steel

Typical HRC
62–65
Corrosion class
Carbon
Production
Conventional
Origin
United States (AISI)

W1 is the Western archetypal water-hardening tool steel: roughly 1.0 percent carbon, no meaningful alloying, designed to be quenched in plain water. In its kitchen knife form it overlaps closely with European C105 and Japanese SK3 / SK105, and it is the ancestor of much of the Sheffield clean-carbon tradition.

For the cook it lands at 63–64 HRC in a careful heat treat, sharpens at the level of a Hitachi white paper, and behaves at the apex like the cleanest Western carbon you can buy off the rack. The trade-offs are familiar: minimal edge retention compared to the alloyed carbons, a lively patina, and a heat treat that demands attention to detail because there is nothing in the chemistry to forgive a sloppy quench.

W1 has largely been superseded in production work by W2 and the modern engineered carbons, but it persists in the work of traditionalist American smiths and is occasionally found in revivalist Sheffield production. Among the makers Modern Cooking carries, Jonas Johnsson and ScheepersBuilt work in W1. As a reference steel for "what a pure carbon should feel like," it remains honest and useful.

View full steel guide →

Blade construction

Honyaki

The traditional Japanese single-steel forging technique, in which a high-carbon mono-steel blade is differentially hardened — clay is applied to the spine before quench, leaving only the edge to fully harden. The result is a hard cutting edge and a softer spine that improves toughness, plus the hamon (temper line) that defines the visual signature of the technique.

Honyaki is the high-water mark of Japanese knifemaking. The technique is unforgiving; a failed differential quench cracks the blade. Honyaki knives are almost always from a single high-purity carbon steel — Shirogami #1 is the canonical choice — and are priced and treated accordingly.

View full construction guide →

Grind

Walkschliff

The Kesselscher Walkschliff is a traditional Solingen grind in which each face of the blade curves outward from the spine, reaching its greatest thickness slightly below it before tapering towards the edge. Beneath this pronounced convex “bulge,” the blade is ground exceptionally thin and continues into a fine, subtly convex cutting edge. This distributes material through the upper blade for rigidity and stability while preserving the low cutting resistance of a very thin edge.

Achieving this compound geometry consistently demands considerable control, specialist knowledge and experience, whether it is produced on a traditional grinding wheel or with a belt grinder. Once part of Solingen’s celebrated grinding tradition, the Walkschliff is now practised by relatively few makers. A well-executed example is valued for the way it reconciles qualities that can otherwise seem opposed: strength through the body of the blade, fineness behind the edge and an exceptionally keen, confident cut.

View full grind guide →

Handle construction

Hidden Tang

A construction in which the tang runs into the handle but stays concealed inside it, rather than showing between two scales. A narrower tang — a full-length stick or a shorter projection — is set into a drilled or burned channel in a one-piece handle and secured with adhesive, a friction fit, or a threaded fitting drawn up against the blade. This is the traditional construction of Japanese wa-handles and many European hidden-tang knives.

The design puts the handle material in charge of the look and feel: a single piece of wood, horn, or composite — often with a ferrule or spacers at the front — is shaped into any cross-section the maker wants, from the classic octagonal and D-shaped wa profiles to fully rounded Western forms. With no steel showing along the grip, the handle can be slim and light, and is frequently made to be removed and replaced, with the balance sitting toward the blade.

View full construction guide →

Shipping & Returns

Shipping

We process orders 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) and ship from our shop in Sydney, Australia. We ship with FedEx, UPS and DHL.

We are happy to offer free international shipping on a variety of orders depending on location and order value.

Free Shipping Regions and Minimum Order Values

For Australia and New Zealand the minimum is $500AUD. For the rest of the world it is approximately €1000EUR. The discount is applied automatically when you reach the minimum cart value at checkout.

Returns

If you're not entirely happy with your purchase, you can return it within 14 days of delivery for a refund. The item must be in its original condition with all original packaging.

  • Returns are accepted for 14 days
  • The customer is responsible for return shipping costs
  • A 15% restocking fee may be applied to change-of-mind returns
  • We do not accept returns on second-hand items for change of mind

Faulty or Damaged Items

You must notify us within 5 business days of receiving your order. Photographic evidence of damage is required. Once approved, Modern Cooking will cover return shipping costs.

Product Care

Cleaning: Clean by hand with warm water. Avoid wetting the handle when possible.

Sharpening: We advise using whetstones to sharpen your knives and a honing rod or steel to maintain the burr between sharpening sessions.

Reactive Steels: Reactive steels like Aogami Super, Apex Ultra or premium reactive German and Swedish steels are susceptible to rust if not properly cared for. Keep the knife dry between uses and when storing for longer periods, wiping the blade with Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil is a wise choice. A patina can be a beautiful personal feature on your knife and helps to stop rust forming.

Handle Care: For non-stabilised wooden handles, apply Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil from time to time. Food-safe wax can be applied to both stabilised and non-stabilised wooden handles. Never apply hot wax or oil as you risk warping or damaging the handle.

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