Not quite - and it is the single most common point of confusion when people shop for a kiritsuke. The two knives share the same striking angled, reverse-tanto tip, but underneath that tip they are very different tools.

A K-tip gyuto is a double-bevel knife: it is ground on both sides like any Western-style chef's knife, so it is ambidextrous, forgiving to use, and sharpened exactly the way you would sharpen a normal gyuto. You get the dramatic kiritsuke look with the everyday usability of an all-purpose chef's knife.

A traditional kiritsuke - including the kiritsuke-yanagiba (slicer) and kiritsuke-gyuto shapes - is a single-bevel knife, ground on one side only. It is historically a master chef's knife: it takes real practice to use well, is set up for right-handed users by default, and needs single-bevel sharpening technique to maintain.

So if you want the kiritsuke silhouette with no learning curve, choose a K-tip gyuto. If you specifically want the traditional single-bevel discipline - and the precision it allows on fish and vegetables - choose a true kiritsuke. At Knives and Stones we stock both, and each product page tells you which construction you are looking at.

ZDP-189 is a high-carbon, high-chromium powder metallurgy steel that achieves 63–66 HRC hardness for extreme edge retention, though this same hardness makes the edge more brittle and difficult to sharpen than softer steels.

In the K&S catalog, this steel is used by makers like Hatsukokoro and Sukenari across Gyuto, Petty, and Sujihiki profiles, with prices ranging from mid-range to premium. A concrete example is the Hatsukokoro Hayabusa ZDP189 Migaki Gyuto 240mm, listed at a mid-range price. You should choose this steel if you prioritize holding a razor edge through heavy use and have the skill to maintain a 63+ HRC edge without chipping; if you need a knife that is forgiving of lateral stress or easy to sharpen in the field, the high carbon content and extreme hardness present a trade-off you may want to avoid.