Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo LASER Japanese Knives
Time to read 5 min
Ridiculously THIN and NOT For Everyone
Disclaimer: Let's get right to it; the Hatsukokoto Ryuhyo SG2 Japanese knives are ridiculously thin lasers. If you don't have experience working with harder steel Japanese knives, let alone laser beams like the Hatsukokoto Ryuhyo series, then add these knives to your wishlist for another time down the road.
Why? They require the same TLC as all Japanese knives, but with the addition of proper technique and cutting surface. We don't want you chipping a blade that wouldn't have normally chipped if used properly.
Only get a Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo if you’re looking for a ridiculously thin laser beam of a knife. If you want a workhorse blade with softer, super-durable steel that you can beat around, these aren't it.
Now that's out of the way, let's dive into what makes these blades such high performers.
Table of Contents
What Makes the Ryuhyo Knives Lasers?
We'll get into who Hatsukokoro is in a minute, along with the steel and options in the series, but you're here for laser talk, so let's talk lasers.
It's all about fine geometry. Most Ryuhyo blades measure around 1.9-2mm at the spine. From there, the taper begins almost immediately, with the grind starting right below the spine and running all the way to the edge. A blade with geometry like this immediately invites a laser-like feel, even if it's not as thin as a Ryuhyo. However, the combination of spine thinness and geometry makes these blades simply insane.
Look at the choil shots below. The choil is the view at the heel of the blade, looking down the knife from the handle toward the tip. On the Hatsukokoto Ryuhyo, the edge nearly disappears.
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 Damascus 8.25" Gyuto
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 Kurozome Damascus 7" Bunka
Who is Hatsukokoro?
Hatsukokoro is a Japanese brand that partners with small and mid-sized makers across Japan, bringing their knives together under one name and distributing them worldwide.
Popular lines under the Hatsukokoro umbrella include Yoshikane, Hayabusa, and the Ryuhyo series. When you see the Hatsukokoro name, you’re looking at a brand that keeps many small-batch Japanese makers super busy. You'll know you have a Hatsukokoro branded knife when you see their engraving or laser etching mark on the side of a blade.
Hatsukokoro Engraving on Yoshikane Kurouchi Kiritsuke
Two Finishes, One Blade: Polished vs Kurozome Damascus
The Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo lineup comes in two finishes. The Ryuhyo SG2 Damascus features a fully polished blade. The Ryuhyo SG2 Kurozome Damascus has a black Damascus cladding that gives it a completely different look and texture. Beyond the finish, the blades are the same, so it really all comes down to looks.
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 Polished Damascus
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 Kurozome Damascus
Popular Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo Knives
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 Polished Damascus Kiritsuke
Ryuhyo Core Steel, Blade Profiles & Handle Options
SG2 Stainless Steel Core:
Both Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo finishes use an SG2 Powdered Stainless Steel Core with a 63 Rockwell hardness, wrapped in stainless Damascus cladding. SG2 is made by atomizing molten steel into a fine powder, which is then mixed, re-melted, and forged. The result is a very fine, uniform grain structure, which makes SG2 more durable than many other steels at a similar hardness. That said, durability depends on more than steel. Plenty of SG2 knives are much tougher than the Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo because they have a thicker grind behind the edge. The Ryuhyo is an absolute laser beam, but it will hold up better than other lasers made with different steels. If you’ve used Wüsthof or Zwilling your whole life and treat a Ryuhyo the same way, expect microchips, full-blown chips, or a torque-fractured edge.
The combination of steel, thinness, and geometry, is what allows the Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo series to perform as well (better in some cases) and many much more expnsive and hand-forged Japanese knives.
Blade Profiles:
The Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 series includes a traditional 210 and 240mm gyuto, 210 and 240mm kiritsuke, bunka, santoku, and petty.
Handle Options:
Handles are currently available in ebony wood, olive wood, and stabilized birch with epoxy. If you’re reading this in 2027 or later, you may find a few new options as the lineup evolves.
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 Damascus 9.4" Kiritsuke Gyuto
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 Kurozome Damascus 9.4" Gyuto
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 Damascus 7" Santoku, Olivewood
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 Kurozome Damascus 5.9" Petty
Who is the Hatsukokro Ryuhyo Series For?
It's been said already, but it's worth repeating. A Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo is not a first Japanese knife. It's too thin, and it requires proper technique and an understanding of how a blade like this behaves.
The Ryuhyo is for you if:
- You've worked with Japanese knives before.
- You're proficient with the push chop and tap chop. These blades don't like rock chopping or cross chopping, since pivoting the edge against the board while mincing will create microchips. Stick to push chopping, tap chopping, and slicing.
- You use the right cutting board. A blade this thin needs a medium to soft surface. We recommend wood boards under 1,000 Janka, like black walnut, larch, or hinoki. Japanese synthetic rubber boards from Asahi, or the softer Hasegawa Pro PE and Pro Soft boards, also work great.
Ryuhyo Kiritsuke, Zuma Bunka, Nigara Kagetora, Yoshikane Gyuto, Ryuhyo Kurozome Bunka
Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo Choil Comparisons
If you want to dive deep into understanding the difference between workhorse and laser Japanese knives, watch this video. It takes knife nerdism to another level.
The shot above includes five very different knives to represent the nuance between workhorse-leaning and laser grinds.
The first knife on the left is the Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo Polished 240mm Kiritsuke. Next is the 7" Zuma Bunka, a forged blade representing a middle ground between laser and workhorse. The middle blade is the definition of a hand-forged laser gyuto, made by the head of Nigara. The fourth knife is a 210mm Yoshikane SKD Gyuto, which looks like it'd be a workhorse, but it actually feels more like a laser due to the overall geometry and grind. Finally, at the far right is the Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo Kurozome Bunka, a laser.
The key takeaway from this photo and the video overall is that thinness doesn't necessarily determine performance. It's a combination of overall spine thinness, grind, taper from the spine to the edge, and blade geometry; that's what matters when it comes to working with a high-performing laser. The good news is the Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo series checks all the boxes, at a price point well below other options.
So, if you're looking for a laser beam, you know how to use and care for a very thin Japanese knife, and you don't want to spend $600 or $3,000 on a full-forged one-of-a-kind blade, the Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo will take your knife skills to a whole other level.
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Chef Brandon Allen
Chef B is our official Digital Slicer at Cutlery and More and proudly identifies as the 1,463,749th Most Okayest Chef in the Universe. Brandon is armed with a collection of over 610 knives and knows just enough blade trivia to impress (or scare off) strangers at dinner parties. Whether he's writing blogs, filming YouTube videos, or editing knife clips for our product pages, he's got a sharp eye for detail and loves the nuance of all things knives. Oh, and he has a lot of Band-Aids on standby, too.