JNS Kokorozashi

Kokorozashi — 志 — translates as will, motivation, ambition, a sense of purpose. That is the idea behind JNS Knives. Every knife I make under this name is the best I can do at ther moment.

The blades start as forged blanks made to my specifications by some of the best blacksmiths in Japan — Toshihiro Wakui, Yoshikazu Tanaka, Satoshi Nakagawa and others. I source only what meets my standard. Everything after the blank is done by me personally in the JNS workshop.

Grinding is on Japanese horizontal water wheels — slow, traditional, and the right way to build geometry. From there blade is finished on natural stones. A natural stone finish is easier to maintain and touch up on natural stones, which is the whole point of sharpening the way I do it.

The geometry is as flat a bevel as possible while keeping convex. That combination gives you a blade that cuts clean, releases food well, and is easy to thin and sharpen over time. Spine and choil are rounded and polished on every knife. The handles are the best i can find to match the blade. They come razor sharp out of the box.