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Kanetsune Seki Knives

KANETSUNE RYOU-TAKUMI DAMASCUS FIELD KNIFE

Kanetsune Seki has held fast to the Japanese custom of honoring ones’ ancestors. Named after a legendary swordsmith from Feudal Japan, they have been hand-forging traditional swords and knives in the blade city of Seki, Japan since their founding in 1948. Kanetsune Seki Knives is the real deal.

You can’t make a traditional Japanese field knife without using Japanese steel, and Kanetsune Seki Knives steel is from one of the best in the business: Hitachi Metals Limited. From their plant located in Shimane prefecture in Japan, they produce Yasuki Hagane steel.

Especially made for the cutlery industry, it utilizes high quality iron sand from the surrounding area – the same sand used to make traditional Japanese swords since ancient times.

Most of the blades in Kanetsune Seki Knives’ lineup are forged from Yasuki Hagane Blue Steel, a refined carbon steel with chromium and tungsten alloys added for durability. One such field knife, and the subject of this review, is the Kage KB-215. This is a Tanto blade cutter in the 200 series and includes a wooden sheath.

The specs for the knife are as follows. It has a total length of 10¾”; blade length of 5½” from point to guard and handle length of 5⅛” from pommel to guard. The cutter weighs in at 7.6 ounces. Here are the specs for the sheath: total length of 9” including belt loop; blade section length is 6” and width is 1½”. The sheath weighs in at 2.9 ounces.

The hand-feel of this traditional knife is comfortable and the large Oak handle provides an ample grip. The bolster is black powder-coated steel with a generous guard on the finger side. Personally, I would have preferred sculpted finger grooves for better purchase on the handle. But that’s not traditional Japanese styling.

Now for the handsome Tanto-style blade. This is an Aogami steel (Blue Steel), 15-layer Damascus blade in a “random / bacon” pattern with black powder-coated hammering on the upper body reaching to the spine. The blade is convex ground with a thickness of 3.5mm at the spine and is fulltang. IMHO, the absence of thumb jimping on the spine of the blade is an oversight, but the powder-coating that is there improves the thumb grip somewhat.

The included sheath is a prize in itself. Carved of Magnolia wood with polished copper banding and leather strapping, this traditional Japanese style scabbard adds extra style and functionality to the total package.

To sum it up, this looks to be a well-made field knife quite capable of performing its intended purpose. I can’t find anything seriously amiss with it. The pins securing the handle could use a little more filing to smooth them out. The spine tapering to the point is not exactly linear.

But these are certainly not deal breakers. All in all, this is a sturdy fixed blade knife for the collector of Damascus steel cutters or the outdoorsman, or both.

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