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Home | Japanese Kitchen Knives | Nigara Hamono 270mm Yanagi Shirogami 1 Mizu Honyaki Karin Burl Double

Nigara Hamono 270mm Yanagi Shirogami 1 Mizu Honyaki Karin Burl Double Horn

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Hand made in Aomori prefecture, mizu honyaki (water quenched) shirogami #1 yanagi with karin wood handle with buffalo horn spacers.

Nigara Hamono is a distinguished Japanese blacksmithing house with a legacy spanning over 350 years. Founded during the early Edo period, the Nigara family began crafting swords for the Tsugaru clan in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. Over eight generations, they have preserved and refined their traditional forging techniques, transitioning from samurai swords to high-performance kitchen knives that are celebrated worldwide.      

Under the leadership of Go Yoshizawa, the eighth-generation blacksmith, Nigara Hamono continues to blend time-honored techniques with modern innovations. This dedication has earned them recognition as one of Japan’s premier knife makers.

Honyaki heat treatment relies on a single steel blade as opposed to a clad steel / mild steel or iron construction. Water quench honyaki makes for the hardest possible edge but due to the rapid heat loss during the quenching has a high failure rate even for experienced smiths. This knife has been etched to bring out an additional contrast at the hamon, the result is a very lively and vibrant pattern pulled from the steel. 

Shirogami is rated at 3, 2, & 1, increasing in carbon content as the number gets smaller, typically shirogami 3 is tough with a shorter edge life than shirogami 2 and shirogami 1 has the best edge life with the least toughness. When heat treated using the honyaki technique the result is a steel that works very well at very fine finishes. This is definitely a sharpener's steel, great for a huge variety of finishing stones, especially natural stones. 

Not for the first time user of a yanagi, this knife will demand greater skill in sharpening and use to preserve the proper geometry and to avoid damage, in addition the etched surface will be removed with sharpening.

Brand: Nigara Hamono
Smith: Go Yoshizawa
Producing Area: Hirosaki City
Profile: Yanagi
Size: 270mm
Steel Type: Mizu Honyaki (water quenched)Shirogami #1
Handle: Karin burl wood with double buffalo horn & 3 nickel spacers
Total Length: 424mm
Edge Length: 261mm
Handle to Tip Length: 275mm
Blade Height: 38mm
Thickness: 4.3mm
Handle Length: 148mm
Weight: 243g
Hand Orientation: Right Handed

This is a carbon steel knife. Carbon steel is expected to develop a dark patina with use. It needs to be hand washed and dried immediately after use. Do not air dry. Do not put it in the dishwasher. Long exposure to moisture and debris will result in rust. Any rust development should be removed with a light abrasive.

Twisting, scraping, and heavy use, as well as use on hard and very dense objects can lead to edge damage. Use on a quality wooden cutting board will help the knife stay sharper for longer. Use on hard surfaces like plates and bamboo will reduce the edge life and can result in edge damage. Special attention needs to be taken to prevent edge damage. Scraping, twisting and forceful as well as using on hard or very dense foods can result in chipping.

We recommend hand sharpening on whetstones. We have found that most Japanese knives perform best at a finer finish starting around 4000. Avoid pull through sharpeners and non-water cooled mechanized sharpening. Ceramic honing rods are preferred.

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Nigara Hamono 270mm Yanagi Shirogami...

$3,277.14
$3,277.14
Sold Out